The Dark Savior
by ShadowRebirth37
Summary: AU. Before CC. Raven's Zoid is shot down. Badly injuried and alone, he has no chance, until he is found by an Organoid. But with two faces from the past out for his blood, can Shadow protect him? Or will they get their revenge? Ch 13- Lifeless Rise up. XD
1. A shadow in the smoke

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! This was the first fic I ever wrote, but not my first posted. This one is very, very different from my other fics. First off, it will be a continuing fic. Second, this one is AU and takes place before Chaotic Century. I will also be introducing my OC in later chapters. This fic pretty much stands alone from my other fics; meaning it really won't tie into them. The only connection it will have to my other fics is that my OC will appear in my parody fic, _**Adventures of the GenoFury Team**_. Please keep an open mind with this fic; I wrote it before I learned how Raven and Shadow met. Basically, this is my story of how Raven and Shadow met and tells of Shadow's past during Zoidian times. The first paragraph is an intro of sorts, explaining how Raven got out in the desert.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, Zoids ain't mine. I only own this fic, my OCs, the story line, and a few Zoids kits in my room!:P

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_**.:Shadow in the Smoke:.**_

_**The Rev Raptor shook violently as another shot blazed into it. "It can't take much more of this! I need to get out of here!" Raven yelled as yet another warning light blinking across the controls. He had been on a training mission when his little group had been ambushed by a Republican squadron. Their Rev Raptors and Molgas were no match for the Command Wolves and Infantry Godos that the Republican troops were piloting, and the squad leader had a Shield Liger. Already, half of his group had been taken down, and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. The small Zoids was riddled with bullet holes, and the Core had taken serious damage. Roaring, the Shield Liger set up its shield as one of Raven comrades took aim and fired. The shot ricocheted off the shield, and tore through the Rev Raptor's leg. "Ah!" Raven shouted, warning lights and sirens going off. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" he snarled. Amazingly, he managed to stabilize the falling Zoid just long enough to get a shot at the Liger as its shield fell. Wailing in pain, the great blue Zoid collapsed to the ground in a smoking heap. The victory was short-lived, however. A Command Wolf crept ever closer to his failing Zoid, preparing to strike. Another warning sounded, this time the hydraulics in the leg failed, causing it to seize-up. "No!' he yelled, pulling hard on the controls, trying to keep the Zoid up. The little Zoids staggered, turning franticly as it tried to get its leg to move. Suddenly, Raven saw the Command Wolf crouched down… and watched in horror as it sprung. Snarling, the large canine slashed at his Zoid, its claws slicing through the Rev Raptor's chest armor. The Raptor wailed in pain, electricity arching over its body. Raven screamed as the cockpit exploded, spraying him with hot sparks. Whining loudly, the Raptor collapsed on its belly, unable to keep fighting. Raven, barely conscious, watched as the Command Wolf turned away from his downed Zoid. He tried to sit up, but something heavy had pinned him in down. Sparks still dripped from torn wires, filling the cockpit with smoke. Whimpers from his dying Zoid added to the wailing of countless alarms. He tried once again to sit up, but it was too much. Groaning, he lost consciousness.**_

Shadow was sleeping soundly in an ancient ruin, dreaming of his past- before the Death Saurer destroyed the world as he knew it. He had been a wild-born, hatched into a Stark of seven members. He had been the only survivor of his mother's clutch, due to a raid on the nest. His egg had been left behind, for he was born in a smaller, discolored egg. Only four hatchlings were born in the entire Stark- He, Copper, another black, and a small light-blue female. Copper had been his friend since birth; always looking out for him. The other black was separated from the Stark on a hunt; they never did find him. That left him, Copper, and the female as the only younglings. The small blue female had been born early, the result of a crack in her egg caused during the raid. She had been even smaller than he, and was very frail. He and Copper watched out for her, and always let her eat first. Together, he and his friends grew up and left the Stark to start a new life, as all young Organoids do.

They played and lived happily, always looking for something to get into. That is, until the Death Saurer. A young Zoidian named Alloy, whom Copper had rescued him from drowning, had tamed him. The young female was also tamed by a young Zoidian girl named Ibeyla, and was since named Obscura for her ability to turn invisible. He even crossed paths with his lost clutch-brother, the black. He had been tamed by a young boy named Talon, and was now called Obsidian, for he looked like he was covered in fluted pieces of black, volcanic glass. Shadow, on the other hand, stayed feral.

When the Death Saurer's rampage began, some tried to stop it- some like Alloy and Talon. Shadow didn't get involved; he knew that the Death Saurer couldn't be stopped. He watched in horror as Alloy's Bronze Fang was obliterated by spine-missiles, taking Copper with it. Talon's Shadow Panther was badly damaged, but he didn't know what happened to him. Shadow never learned Obscura's fate. Her partner Ibeyla's Spectral Tiger had been hit full on by a Charged Particle Beam, but somehow it managed to limp away. How that Zoid managed to survive that blast was beyond him. He had been lucky to survive himself; he had found that stasis pod purely by ch-

A loud explosion shook him from his dreams. His head snapped up, looking out of the cave's mouth. _'What was that?' _Yawning lazily, he stretched and got to his feet. He walked out onto the cave's ledge, overlooking the ruins and plains.

Shadow looked out over the barren landscape, basking in the morning light. He fanned his wings, cleaving the crisp, dawn air. His black armor glistened in the warmth, giving him renewed energy. Retracting his wings, he roared loudly, his war cry echoing through the hallowed ruins. He smiled; this reminded him of the roaring contests he and Copper used to have. They would always compete with each other, trying to see who was better.

The thought of his friends brought up painful memories of that fateful day. The Death Saurer had been released, and it was destroying everything. Shadow had been drawn by all of the commotion, and was frozen with fear at the sight of the terrible Zoid. As he stood, unable to do anything, he watched his closest friends die right before his eyes. He had tried to suppress these memories, but they trickled back. A loud, whimpering cry escaped him; such was the memories' power over him.

Another distant explosion freed him from the memories' grasp. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see where it originated. Seeing nothing, he decided to investigate. Spreading his great wings, he allowed the warm desert winds lift him. Hearing more noises, he changed course, heading towards them. He flew for the better part of an hour, until he came upon a graveyard of Zoids.

'_Must have been some fight…' _Shadow thought, flying over the gored form of a Helkat. The dismembered bodies of some Zoids were unrecognizable, their limbs gone and metal innards exposed. A few still smoked, and some had small fires slowly eating away at the little armor that remained on their destroyed bodies. He discovered most were Imperial Zoids; Molgas, Helkats, Rev Raptors, a Pteras, ect. He could only find two downed Republican Zoids, a Command Wolf and a Shield Liger, and he concluded that Republic forces had been the aggressors in the fight. Most of the Zoids had bloodstains on the shards of their eyes, and some were missing their heads altogether, a strong indicator that there weren't many, if any survivors.

One Zoid in particular caught his attention- a lone Rev Raptor, collapsed on its belly. It still had electricity jumping across its body, and wisps of smoke rising from its chest. Curious, Shadow glided down and landed on the Raptor's snout. The cockpit cover was slightly ajar, and he peered in through the Zoid's green glass eyes. Blood flecked the inside surface, and he thought maybe the pilot was dead. Slight movements inside made him reconsider.

'_Am I imagining things? Or did I just really see something move in there?' _he thought, second-guessing what he saw. Another small movement inside convinced him that the pilot _might_ be alive. Leaning down, he stuck his nose into the small gap between the cockpit cover and the Zoid's snout. He pushed up the cover; the damaged gears and motors squealing with protest. Finally, the jammed workings relented, lifting up the rest of the way.

Shadow pulled his head back as the cover moved up. Smoke leaked out; not a good sign. When the cover opened fully, he cautiously jumped down into the cockpit. The cover closed slightly behind him, shutting out the light of the sun. He squinted his eyes, but it was hard to see through the dark and smoke. Only a few flickering lights and some bursts of sparks illuminated the darkness, but it was just enough for Shadow to see. He could just make out the shape of a person, and he leaned down to get a closer look.

'_For Eve's sake…' _Shadow cursed in his head, seeing the pilot. He was slumped over a large beam of metal, which had trapped him. Blood covered the beam, coming from a large gash on his arm. Even though he must have been down for over an hour, blood still flowed freely from the wound. Unbelievably, Shadow heard the young pilot inhale and saw him move his hand slightly. _'He's still alive, but just barely…' _he shifted slightly, unsure of what to do. The pilot shifted again, and Shadow saw his eyes blink open slightly before closing again.

Shadow leaned closer, just inches away from the injured boy. Growling softly, he gently nosed the pilot's shoulder, trying to see if he was still conscious. When there was no reaction, he knew he was unconscious… or dead. Looking down, Shadow saw that the beam was crushing the boy. Using his arms and shoulder, Shadow lifted the heavy beam off of the pilot. He set it down carefully and turned back to the boy.

He was now leaning against the side of his seat; his safety harness still fastened. Shadow lightly pushed his snout against the boy's chest, careful not to hurt any broken ribs, and felt for a heartbeat. His pulse was very faint, and so was his breathing. This worried Shadow greatly, and he lifted his head to look at the safety harness. _'I need to get this off if I'm going to get him out of here…'_

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Everything was a blur as Raven slowly woke up. The bright light of the sun had awakened him as the cockpit canopy opened. _'Why is the canopy open? Is someone here?' _he thought. _'It must be malfunctioning…' _he concluded as he heard it close. A strange sound caught his attention. _'What was that?' _he sensed something in the cockpit with him, and he feared it was a Republican soldier. _'Destroying my Zoid and nearly killing me just wasn't good enough, now they want to take me prisoner…' _He took a deep breath and flexed his hand, trying to see if it still worked. It did, but he froze when he heard something shift. He opened his eyes slightly, but his vision was obscured by both pain and smoke.

He was still extremely weak, so he closed his eyes, trying to conserve precious energy. Something moved close to him, and he felt warm air on his face. He heard a low, metallic growl as he felt something press into his shoulder and move around. _'Okay, that's definitely __not__ a person…' _he thought, not knowing whether to be relieved or afraid.

The weight from the beam was crushing the very life out if him, and had pinned him down, making escape on his own impossible. Suddenly, he felt the weight lessen, as the beam was lifted off him. He heard it fall to the ground, and heard a quiet shuffling of metal as something approached him. Forcing his eyes open, he tried to see what was in the cockpit with him, but all he saw was a dragon-like, shadow in the smoke before he closed them. Suddenly, he felt something smooth press gently into his chest.

'_This can't be good…' _he thought, now sure it wasn't a person. He heard another metallic growl and felt more warm air as the thing lifted away and moved towards his arm. A sudden, loud snort and puff of hot air made him jump slightly as whatever-it-was gripped the shoulder strap of his harness. Growling loudly, something began tugging at the strap, almost like it was trying to get it off. _'What in the world?' _Suddenly, the strap gave way with a tear, causing the rest of the harness to give.

He groaned as he slid out of the restraints. He was expecting to fall to the floor, but instead he fell against something smooth and warm. This puzzled him; nothing in the cockpit felt like that. Feeling dizzy, he knew he was going to pass-out. Suddenly, he felt something wrap around his middle and lift him up into the air. He had no idea what was going on or what just wrapped around him, but the only thing he could think of that might feel similar to that was to be hanging from the jaws of an Organoid.

He didn't know just how right he was…

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_**.:End of Chapter 1:.**_

**AN**- So, what do you think? I know, it's _really _different, but I think its okay. Please keep an open mind; this was my first fic and at the time I didn't know what I was doing or how Raven and Shadow met. This fic, like all my others, is based on a dream. This will be a sizable fic; at most maybe ten chapters. I hope you guys liked it; if I get good reviews I will continue. I need at least _**2 **_reviews before I continue; they can be from the same person, but I would prefer two different people. As soon as I get reviews I will start one chapter 2, which should only take a day or two. Anyway, go forth and write me a nice, honest review. Oh, a little warning… **all flamers will be fed to my Organoids!!** None-flamers, don't worry, your safe.XP


	2. The Savior and the Demon

**AN-** Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! I got. I got 3 reviews, more than I expected, so I'm going ahead with chappie 2! I might post a new chappie if I get a _really really _nice review! So if you want me to get off my lazy butt and type up the next chapters leave me a really nice review! (Or beg me, that works too!XP) Depending on how far this chappie goes, my OC might make his appearance in this chappie or the next one. I accidentally leaked a major plot twist in a review for ZD, so I have to put some of the Organoid-on-Organoid action that I promised in. Without further a due, chapter 2- The Savior and the Demon.

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_**Chapter 2: The Savior and the Demon**_

Shadow gently held the young, ebony-haired pilot in his jaws, careful of any broken bones or internal injuries._ 'I need to get him out of here…' _Slowly, he backed out of the cockpit, back into the open air. A noise behind him made him freeze. He listened, trying to determine what the noise had been. There was another noise, and then it hit him…

"Hand over that pilot, Organoid!"

Shadow turned, and saw armed Republican soldiers surrounded him. _'Republican soldiers? Why do they want me to hand over the pilot?' _he thought, looking at them. Taking a step back away from the soldiers, he glanced down at the pilot in his jaws. _'He's Imperial! They want to take him prisoner!' _he realized. The soldiers shifted uneasily, obviously unnerved by the great Organoid. Shadow smirked, realizing his advantage. _'Well… we'll just have to see about that…' _Roaring, he jumped down of the Raptor's snout and onto the golden sand, making the soldiers gasp and jump back.

He growled at the soldiers, moving his head in a wide arc to glare at each one. They visibly flinched and back stepped, away from him and the pilot. The blonde-haired soldier directly in front of him didn't, instead he held his ground. The teal-haired soldier at his side stared at him and the pilot in his jaws. His eyes widened, and he turned to the other soldier.

"Sir! That Organoid is the one that escaped from Flyhieght's squadron! And it's got Raven!"

"Are you sure O'Connell?" the other soldier said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Positive sir." He responded.

"Well…" the blonde-haired soldier smirked, "… let's kill two Pteras with one missile…"

'_They're going to try to capture me and kill him… and I won't let that happen…' _he thought, watching a soldier to his right take a step forward. Roaring loudly, Shadow spread his wings and flapped, showering the soldiers with a blast of stinging sand creating an obscuring cloud of dust

"Open fire! Don't let them get away!" the blonde soldier shouted, firing at Shadow as the cloud enveloped him. The other soldiers opened fire, blindly shooting through the cloud of dust. A roar of pain announced a bullet had found its mark. Shadow launched into the air, trying to get away. Unfortunately, the blonde soldier saw him fly overhead through the dust.

"He's in the sky! Don't let them escape! Fire! Fire!" he yelled, turning to fire at Shadow as he soared away. The other soldiers turned and opened fire at the retreating form of the black Organoid. Most of the bullets bounced harmlessly off his metal body, the remainder he dodged by ducking and weaving through the air. A lucky bullet had managed to pierce his wing, and it burned with every wing beat.

He looked down at the boy in his mouth, trying to see if any of the bullets had hit him. Blood was dripping down his jaws, and that wasn't a good sign. _'Oh no… he's been hit…' _Shadow growled quietly, afraid that the young pilot was dead. As if in response to his growl, the pilot groaned and moved his arm slightly. Shadow was surprised that such a young human could survive such injuries where as a Zoidian his age would have succumb after only a few minutes. _'I guess some humans aren't as fragile as they appear…' _

Shadow looked around for a place to land. _'He won't be able to make the long flight back to my cave… I need to find a cave or something where I can hide him from the soldiers…' _he thought, turning towards a small canyon. _'I hope there's a cave down in there… I need to help him and rest so my wounds can heal…' _he landed on the canyon floor and looked around. A small cave ten feet above the floor caught his eye. _'That looks big enough…' _he flew up and landed on the ledge before the entrance and peered in. It looked suspiciously like a Stark lair, but as far as he knew he was the only Organoid that survived the Death Saurer's onslaught.

He entered cautiously, not knowing whether or not an Organoid or person was inside. Tracks led deep inside the cave, but they were degraded and it looked like nothing had been in the cave in a while. There were several different chambers and corridors; it really did look like a Stark lair. He turned and entered a chamber to his right. It was dark, dry and cool; a perfect place for a wounded Organoid to rest and heal. But first, he needed to help the pilot, Raven, as the soldier had called him.

Growling quietly, Shadow carefully laid the wounded pilot onto the stone floor and inspected his wounds. His arm had a deep slash from a shard glass that even though it had been over an hour still bled. There was a small cut in the palm of his hand that had started to bleed again. He was covered in cuts and bruises, not bad considering he was just pulled from one of the most mangled Zoids Shadow had ever seen. The wound that worried Shadow the most was on his side. A bullet had grazed his side; it wasn't deep, but it bled profusely. Shadow was also worried that he may have broken ribs as well.

Shadow leaned down and lightly pushed his snout into the boy's side. Growling, he gently pressed into him, carefully checking his ribs. He passed over one rib, and felt something strange. He stopped and moved back to it, checking it again. _'Oh no…' _Shadow thought, feeling a broken rib. Sighing, he quickly checked the rest of ribs. _'He broke at least three, all grouped together… probably caused by his safety harness…' _Shadow lifted his head and looked down at the unconscious pilot with a sigh. _'He's going to need someone to look after him, and it looks like that'll be me…' _he thought darkly, for he had no idea how to care for a hatchling of his own kind, let alone an injured human. He walked out onto the cave's ledge and looked out into the canyon, lost in thought.

'_What am I going to do? He'll panic and run the moment he wakes up and sees me… what am I saying? He can't even wake himself up, let alone try and escape; I doubt he could even stand up on his own…' _Shadow was concerned that the young human might wake up and panic, possibly injuring himself further. For some reason, he felt like he had to help and protect Raven. He reminded him of a Zoidian, and even back before he went into stasis he had never acted this way towards anyone, not even his own kind, outside his friends. '_Maybe this is the feeling Obscura described to my that an Organoid feels when he has met his partner… I feel like I have been destined since my hatching to find him… I don't know…' _he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

The sound of a rock falling brought him back to reality. He looked around and tried to find the source, but a sudden shuffling noise above him made him freeze. Before he could react, a red blur slammed into him as it jumped down from its perch above him. Roaring as he was knocked off the ledge, Shadow and the red shape tumbled down the side of the canyon to the floor ten feet below him. They hit the ground hard and jumped apart. Shadow wheeled around to face his new foe, and gasped at what he saw.

"You're… you're an Organoid?!" Shadow gasped in the Organoid language, not believing he was staring down another of his own kind.

"Were you expecting something else?" it said slyly as it started to walk in an arc around him.

"I wasn't expecting to see another Organoid, no. What is your name, red?" Shadow replied, watching the circling Organoid warily. The Organoid laughed grimly as it continued to circle.

"My name is none of your concern, black." It answered.

"Why did you attack me? I've done nothing wrong." Shadow stated, growing impatient with the red Organoid.

"You are helping a human, Raven none-the-less." The Red replied smoothly, its jaws stretched in a twisted grin.

"What is so wrong with helping an injured human? And what is so wrong with Raven?" Shadow asked, wondering if he had done something terribly wrong by helping the pilot, after all, the Red seemed to be more informed about human affairs than he.

"Raven's parents were Organoids scientists; they conducted horrible tests on Organoids as they slept in stasis. Such a crime cannot go unpunished, black." The crimson Organoid hissed, its green eyes flashing with hate.

"Just because a child's parents did wrong doesn't mean the child is guilty of the same crimes, red." Shadow growled, now fearing for Raven. The Red laughed and continued to circle him.

"You believe he's innocent…" the Red laughed cruelly, "You do not know the severity of his crimes, yes?" he added, brushing his spine-tipped tail across Shadow's nose.

"No, I do not, red. Tell me of his _crimes _against Organoids." Shadow snorted, lifting his snout away from the Red's sharp tail-tip.

"His parents found an Organoid capsule hidden in the Orin Ruins. They took the capsule to their lab and began running all sorts horrific tests on the Organoid as it slept. They thought the Organoid was oblivious to the pain in its dormant state, but no… the Organoid could see and feel it all. After nearly a year of suffering, the Organoid was finally able to free itself when a Zoidian came and activated the panel the humans were too stupid to figure out. The Organoid killed the scientists, and was about to consume them, when a young child came running down the stairs…" the Red paused for a moment, letting it sink in.

"What did the Organoid do to the child?" Shadow asked, seemingly ignoring the rest.

"This Organoid was above killing a child, black, no matter how bad his crimes…" the Red said with an evil smirk.

"What did it do to the child, red?" Shadow repeated.

"The Organoid knew that the child had been involved in the experiments that had made him suffer. He had seen him help his parents set up equipment and run some of the tests, so he was just as guilty as his parents. The Organoid, instead of killing the defenseless child, tossed him into a wall, knocking him unconscious. The Organoid knew that killing a child was unacceptable, but also knew that he could wait until the child grew up, and then he could extract his revenge…" the Red grinned evilly, stopping before Shadow. Shadow stared at the Red for a minute, and then put two-and-two together.

"You… You were the Organoid they experimented on?" Shadow said quietly, looking at the Red strangely.

"Yes I was… now do you see why Raven mustn't be allowed to live?" the red Organoid asked back, looking Shadow in the eyes for the first time. Shadow stared right back into the Red's eyes, not afraid of the strong Organoid.

"No I do not, red. I do not see what gives you the right to kill a defenseless young human. Revenge is a poison, not a cure- it doesn't fix the wrongs of the past, only create wrongs in the presents." Shadow said defiantly, challenging the Red. The Red merely laughed and started to circle him again.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had been through what I have and if you knew whom you were dealing with…" the red Organoid hissed, walking behind him. Shadow watched him warily, and prepared for a fight. A sudden movement from the Red triggered his instincts. He jumped up as the Red pounced.

"No! I will not let you kill Raven, red! He has done nothing to harm you consciously! His parents were the ones who tortured you! Not him!" Shadow tried talking sense into the bloodthirsty Organoid, but his mind was set solely on revenge. Snorting, Shadow dove at the Organoid. The Red predicted this and barely avoided the attack, but recovered quickly and bit into Shadow's tail-tip as he flew by. He tugged, causing Shadow to crash into the ground. Shadow rolled a good twenty feet before he came to a stop, but the Red gave him no time to relax. The Red charged as Shadow got to his feet.

Before Shadow could react, the Red lunged, jaws wide. Shadow screamed as the Red's powerful jaws snapped shut on his vulnerable neck and forced him to the ground. Snarling in rage, Shadow snapped at the Red's ankle, but trying to move his head hurt. The Red hissed and bit down harder, his sharp teeth tearing at Shadow's soft throat. Screaming in pain, Shadow reared up and lashed the Red with his tail, causing him to release his neck. The Red retaliated, kicking Shadow's unprotected belly with his sharp talons. Shadow screamed hoarsely, and rammed into the Red, knocking him into the canyon wall.

The Red, realizing he had lost this fight, swiped Shadow's leg with his spined tail and bolted away in a flash of boosters. Shadow, not seeing where he had disappeared to, feared he had flown into the cave after Raven. He spread his wings and flew upwards, shooting into the cave. He half fell to the stone floor, to tired to keep going. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to his feet and limped into the chamber Raven was in. Seeing no sign of the Red didn't mean Raven was safe; he knew the Red could be waiting right outside the cave's entrance. Growling quietly, he laid down behind the boy.

'_I'm not going to let that demon get a hold of Raven…' _Shadow snarled in his head, curling around the ebony-haired pilot. He glared out the chamber door and out the cave entrance, watching for any sign of the Red. Nearly half-an-hour passed without sign of the crimson Organoid. A sudden groan from Raven captured his attention. Shadow lowered his head and looked at the boy. Blood still dripped from his arm and side, and his breathing was irregular, further worrying Shadow. Growling softly, he licked the gash on his arm, spreading a substance uniquely produced by Organoids onto the wound. Almost instantly, the bleeding stopped and Raven's breathing stabilized. He did the same to the wound on his side, covering it in the silvery-clear fluid.

Suddenly, the light streaming in from the outside was obscured, and Shadow lifted his head and growled menacingly. He moved his head over Raven, so that any attacker would have to go through his jaws to get to the injured pilot.

The sound of metal shuffling further alarmed Shadow, and he saw an Organoid's figure appear in the chamber's doorway. Shadow snarled and bared his teeth threateningly, extending his wing over Raven protectively. The figure didn't charge or retreat, but just stood there, staring at him and Raven.

"Take one more step and it will be your last!" Shadow roared, lashing his tail against the wall. Surprisingly, the figure took a step forward, and then leaned down to him. Shadow glared in its bright greenish-black eyes, which seemed strangely familiar to him. To his astonishment, the figure spoke…

"Shadow?"

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_**.:End of Chapter 2:.**_

**AN**- Oo cliffy! I'm so evil!XP This chapter was a lot more action-oriented than the first one; I hope you likey! I would really appreciate a nice review; I'm going through a tough time right now (see the **News **section in my profile for more info) and a good review would really help me out right now. I will post the next chapter as soon as I get some reviews and as soon as it's typed. Oh… **all flamers will be fed to my Organoids!**Non-flamers, don't worry, you're safe!XP


	3. The Crimson Demon

**AN**- ShadowRebirth37 here! Have you all liked the fic so far? This fic is fun to write, so I won't stop right in the middle as some other authors have (I'm not pointing fingers, okay! I haven't been here long enough to do that! Besides its wrong to point fingers!XP). I've been getting good reviews for all my stories, and I love getting your guys' feedback! Are you guys always this accepting of newbies, or am I special?XP Lol. Anyway, this next chappie might not be as action-oriented as the last one, but I have to introduce my new OC! I'm not telling who, but Squireheart, if you're reading this, you know who I'm talking about!;D Well, I don't even know why I bother typing all this out; I know nobody reads this even though they might contain _**important plot hints!!**_ Now, I bet that got your attention. Anyway, here's chapter 3- The Crimson Demon (dedicated to you, SquireHeart!;D)!

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_**Chapter 3: The Crimson Demon**_

"Shadow?"

Shadow stared at the intruder, shocked. This wasn't the Red, but it was yet _another_ Organoid.

"Shadow?" the figure asked again, "Shadow? Is that you?" Shadow was frozen. The figure sounded so familiar, like the voice of a distant memory. He squinted his eyes, trying to see the figure's features, but it was too dark in the reaches of the cave.

Suddenly, light streamed back in, washing over the figure, illuminating him. Smooth golden armor, jet-black underplating, wing-humps, sharp nose-horn, and warm greenish-black eyes. _'It couldn't be…' _Shadow thought in astonishment, _'It couldn't be, it couldn't be! I saw him die! But he's standing right in front of me!' _he screamed in his head, so confused.

"Shadow, is it you? Don't you remember me?" the figure asked once again. Shadow stared at the golden Organoid before him, not believing his eyes.

"C-Copper? Copper i-is that you?" Shadow choked, recognizing his best friend.

"It's been a long time." Copper smiled, slowly swooshing his long, elegant tail.

"B-but I saw… the Bronze Zaber… Alloy?" Shadow stuttered, the fact his best friend was alive still dawning on him.

"I will explain that later, Shadow." He quieted his friend, "First, I need to get you patched-up." He said as he looked at Shadow's torn neck, belly and wing. "What happened? And why is there blood all over your muzzle? Did you feed?" Copper asked, seeing the still-wet crimson that covered his muzzle and flecked his armor, and the fluid that still dripped from his jaws.

Shadow seemed to snap back to reality at the mention of blood. He looked at himself and realized how badly he looked. His throat was covered in punctures from the Red's teeth. Blood and fluid did still cover his jaws, giving him the appearance that he had killed something. His belly had three long furrows from the Red's talons when he had kicked him. He really did look like he had just fed, which was highly unusual for a fully-developed Organoid to do.

"No Copper, I didn't feed." He answered.

"Then where did the blood come from?" Copper asked, cocking his head and raising his spined eye-crest.

"The blood came from here…" Shadow replied quietly, withdrawing his wing, revealing Raven. Copper gasped as he looked at the young pilot, and turned to look at Shadow.

"What did you do, Shadow?" Copper asked, concerned that maybe his friend had reverted and attacked an innocent human.

"I saved him, Copper." Shadow answered.

"Saved him? What do you mean _saved_ him?!" he questioned.

"I found him unconscious and near-death in the remains of what looked like a Rev Raptor. He was trapped and unable to get out, so I freed him. When I got him out of the cockpit I was surrounded by Republican soldiers and ordered to hand him over. He's Imperial, you see, and they wanted to take him prisoner. I managed to get away without having to harm them, but one of their bullets pierced my wing and grazed him. Knowing he wouldn't be able to survive the long flight back to my lair, I landed and hid him in here. But when I walked out on the ledge to think, I was attacked from behind by a red Organoid. He wants to kill him because his parents experimented on him while he was in stasis. I fought him off, but I was badly hurt. I managed to get back in here before I literally collapsed from exhaustion. I was cleaning his wounds when you came." Shadow informed Copper of the day's adventure and looked down at Raven.

"Why didn't you fall under control of your instincts? I thought all un-tamed Organoids did whenever they saw weakness in another animal." Copper asked.

"Being around Alloy and Ibeyla and the other Zoidians sort of universally tamed me. I'm still un-bonded, but I have reasonable control over my instincts." Shadow informed him.

"How bad are his wounds?" Copper asked quietly as he leaned down close to the young pilot and looked at him closely.

"He's lost a lot of blood, has a deep gash on his upper arm and at least three broken ribs, a bullet grazed his side, and he was trapped under a heavy metal beam for Eve knows how long; they're pretty serious." Shadow said, looking up at the golden Organoid.

"How can such a young human survive such injuries? Even an adult Zoidian would be lucky to live…" Copper said, looking at Raven in shock, "How again did you say he was injured?"

"I found him in the remains of what I guessed was a Rev Raptor. There were a bunch of gored, completely destroyed Imperial Zoids near him, as well as two downed Republican Zoids; it looked like the Republicans massacred the Imperial Zoids. He was in one of the most mangled Zoids I have ever seen; I still can't believe he's alive. The Raptor was peppered with bullet holes, and the chest armor had been sliced clean through by what looked like claws. He must have been struck from behind, there's no other way to explain why the Zoid landed the way it did. Still, he's lucky I came to investigate, otherwise he'd be in the Republic's hands right now, or worse…" Shadow trailed off, not wanting to think about what might have happened to Raven if he hadn't rescued him.

"He's extremely lucky, considering the damage you said the Zoid sustained…" Copper stated, still looking at him, "Why was he with Imperial troops? He couldn't be a soldier, could he?"

"The Republican soldier who called him Raven seemed to know who he was… yes it's possible that he is a soldier." Shadow considered, for he hadn't really given it much thought.

"But he's so young; I bet he's only twelve suns old. They wouldn't let a youngling fight in the war, would they?" Copper said, not understanding why he had been with Imperial soldiers.

"I don't know…" Shadow whispered, "Copper?"

"Hmm…?" Copper answered.

"You used to be good at patching up Obscura and me, do you think you can help him?" Shadow asked quietly, looking the gold-clad Organoid in the eyes. Copper looked down at the unconscious pilot and seemed to bite his lip in thought. "Can you Copper? Please, there's something about him… he reminds me of a Zoidian, of Talon, and I feel like I need to protect him…" Shadow pleaded, staring in Copper's eyes with an almost begging look.

"I've never worked on a human before…" Copper stated quietly, looking back up at Shadow, "But I'll try Shadow." He added, seeing Shadow's expression.

"Thank you, Copper." Shadow smiled, well, if you could call it a smile.

"Don't thank me yet, I don't have any idea what to do." Copper said sharply, "I have some supplies back in my cave, maybe I could bring some here-"

"No…" Shadow stopped him, "It would be better if we took him there. That red Organoid will stop at nothing to get to Raven, and he knows that Raven is here. Raven would be safer if we got him away from here and somewhere hidden from that demon."

"That does sound better. Come, get Raven and follow me, I'll lead you to my lair. It's not to far away, no more than a twenty minute flight." Copper agreed and turned, walking out onto the ledge.

"Copper wait!" Shadow called after him, "That's where I was att-" His warning came too late. Before he could even finish his sentence, a red blur slammed into the golden Organoid, this time from below. He was knocked back into the cave onto his back with a surprised roar. Copper struggled, but the red Organoid had him pinned to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Copper snarled as he vainly struggled. The Red's only response was a wicked laugh.

"Release him this instant!" Shadow roared, now standing in the chamber's entrance.

"Well well…" the Red said smoothly, "Look who it is…"

"Silence, red! Release him and leave immediately!" Shadow commanded, roaring in rage. The Red merely laughed, stepping off the now unmoving gold Organoid and turning to face him.

"Who are you to order me around, black?" he smiled his twisted grin, flashing the dangerously sharp spines on his tail.

"Leave now red!" Shadow snarled, bearing his teeth threateningly.

"Give me Raven and I will leave peacefully, and never return." The Red said slyly, smirking wickedly.

"Never, red!" Shadow roared, "I won't let you kill him!"

"Protecting a human…" the Red scoffed, "How foolish…"

"You're the fool, red, and I will hold the honor of showing you the error of your ways…" Shadow growled back. The two Organoids circled one another in an ancient war-dance. They glared and growled at each other, daring the other to strike. Shadow glanced down at Copper, but he was out-cold, most likely from shock. He turned his gaze back to the Red, whose patience was quickly wearing thin.

Suddenly, he lunged with an angry snarl. Shadow ducked as the Red's maw snapped together, just inches above his head. He roared and struck, his jaws clamping shut on the Red's exposed throat. The Red screamed hoarsely and clawed at Shadow's face, trying to pry open his jaws. Shadow growled and snapped his head, tossing the Red into the far wall. He screamed loudly and collapsed to the ground.

Shadow walked over to his downed foe and peered down at him, not convinced he was knocked-out. He nudged the fallen Organoid with his foot, but still he didn't react. Snorting, he turned and glanced at Copper, but he still was out-cold. Suddenly, he heard the muffled rustling of metal in front of him. Before he could even blink, there was a quiet _shink_, and he felt the spines on the Red's tail press into his throat.

"If you want to get out alive, you'll do exactly what I say…" the Red hissed quietly, grinning evilly. "Give me Raven…" Shadow slowly turned his head, and stared in the Red's cold, emotionless eyes. _'What do I do?!' _Shadow closed his eyes and exhaled in a sad sigh.

'_I guess I have no choice…'_

* * *

Raven was awakened by a loud, metallic scream and the sound of metal hitting stone. _'What was that?' _he thought as he heard a wheezing noise and a quiet whine, like an animal in pain. He knew he wasn't in the Raptor anymore, and that just confused him further. The only thing he could remember was seeing the dragon-like, shadow in the smoke, the metallic growls, and something wrapping around him and lifting him up.

He heard a loud, metallic clanking as something approached him. Whatever-it-was stopped a few feet from him and growled lowly. Almost afraid to, he groaned and slowly opened his eyes. What he saw terrified even him- a large, crimson Organoid with sharp teeth bared was watching him with icy, unfeeling eyes. _'A-an Organoid?!' _he thought franticly, staring at the large metal creature.

The Organoid hissed loudly, flicking its massive tail in anticipation. Raven gritted his teeth and pushed himself off the ground. He groaned and leaned back against the wall behind him, putting a hand over his pained side where he guessed he had broken a rib. The Organoid raised its head and snarled loudly, causing Raven to freeze. It shifted slightly, which was Raven's only warning before…

The Organoid roared and swung its heavy tail around in an arc. Raven ducked, the spines on its tail scraping across the wall just inches above his head. He looked up, and saw the spines had left three long, deep slashes in the hard stone of the wall. Angry, the red Organoid snarled and swiped at him with its claws. Raven put up his arms in defense, but its claws ripped into his left arm, causing him to scream in pain. He gritted his teeth and glanced down as he felt warm blood spread over his arm.

His vision blurred and he began to feel dizzy from blood loss. He looked up at the crimson Organoid through the haze of pain. The Organoid glared at him with cold eyes and seemed to be _smirking_. It lifted its head and laughed cruelly, as though it was enjoying his pain. Raven put his hand over the slash on his arm in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was futile. His movement also caught the red Organoid's attention. It growled and leaned down, just inches from him. Raven groaned and lowered his head, closing his eyes as his strength faded. He heard the Organoid hiss quietly, and felt its hot breath on his face.

"Someone… help…"

* * *

**AN**** _(must read! Very important!_)**- Oo… another cliffy! I am SO evil!XP You will notice as you read my other fics that when I'm sad, upset or stressed my fics turn dark and more violent. It's not my fault, when I write fics the emotions I am experiencing at the time get incorporated into it. And right now I am very stressed and hurt emotionally. T.T That's why this chapter is so dark near the end- I started writing this chapter when I was happy and excited, but towards the end I was sad, hurt and upset. Guys, I'm going through a tough time right now. My life has gone to h in a hand basket and I need some support. I usually am the person who gives support to my friends, but things in my family are **really _really_ **bad and I don't know how much more I can take. I could really use some words of hope or encouragement, guys. Depending on how bad things get in the next few days, I might go on hiatus. I would really hate to do that, but if I get overly-stressed my body will literally shut-down, and I've already come close to having a heart-attack. If you guys want me to keep going, tell me so. I am also taking off the review limit for new chapters because I know believe they are unfair. **For updates on this and my other fics, my condition, my life and so forth will be posted in my profile. If I do not update for awhile, ****check my profile's NEWS section**. Please review, I really need the emotional boost and I want to know your guys' reactions. No flames please, I don't think my sanity could survive knowing I've disappointed somebody. Guys, don't worry, I promise you I'm **not **going to commit suicide or go emo; I'm not like that and I know that won't solve my problems, just add to them. Until next time.  
Ibeyla

**(P.S- if you want to know my current status, shoot me a PM. If I do not respond, I am at my dad's house away from my home computer. Do not reframe from sending me a PM for that reason; I will respond to all PMs as soon as I can get back to my mom's house and my home computer)**


	4. In the Demon's Jaws

**AN**- ShadowRebirth37 here! I'm still going through a really tough time, but I made time to write this chapter. I changed chapter 3's title; it didn't really fit and I thought it was weak. SQUEE!! My fave song, _Already Over__, _by _Red _just came on!! Um… anyway, this will be a dark chapter. Oops, I forgot to explain what it means when an Organoid feeds. Hatchlings must feed on energy to survive until their self-supporting AI fully develops. After their AI matures, they do not need to feed but can. Adult Organoids _usually_ only feed when they are injured or weak, for it replenishes their energy and helps them heal. When they feed they secrete a silvery-clear fluid that is a mild paralytic; causing numbness, sleepiness, weakness and eventually unconsciousness. It isn't _usually _fatal, but some Organoids, like the rare subspecies, _Ago doku koori_, developed the fluid into a potent poison. Read my other fic, _**The Distant Stars**_, for more info. Weird, I know, but don't blame me! This came from a dream! Did the last paragraph of chapter 3 freak anyone out? It gave me chills! I HATE Ambient!!O I digress; this chappie will be dark, scary, told mostly from Raven's POV, introduce _another _OC and be slightly funny. Without further a due, chapter 4- In the Demon's Jaws.

* * *

_**.:Chapter 4: In the Demon's Jaws:.**_

The crimson Organoid pushed against his shoulder forcefully, growling sharply. Raven groaned, opening his eyes as the Organoid turned and stared at him with its piercing, cold gaze. He saw something strange; a silvery-clear liquid coated the Organoid's jaws. _'What is that stuff?' _he thought, looking at the fluid. The Organoid hissed; its eyes narrowing as it saw he was still conscious. Then, a grim smile creped across its face, and a wicked growl escaped its throat.

Suddenly, the red Organoid lunged with a snarl, clamping its jaws on Raven's shoulder. He cried out weakly as the Organoid's teeth pierced his shoulder armor and sank deep into him. The fluid dripped onto him, and the Organoid began making a strange noise. He suddenly began to feel tired, as if the little energy he had left had been sucked out of him. His shoulder started to go numb, and he felt extremely tired and weak.

The Organoid flicked its tail as if it was enjoying it. Raven closed his eyes and lowered his head, groaning in pain. He knew he was going to lose consciousness, and he knew that if he did, he was dead, but he couldn't fight it off much longer.

"Help… please…"

* * *

Copper slowly came to his senses. He uncurled his long tail and stretched, trying to see if he was damaged in any way. Not detecting anything of worry, he opened his eyes and shakily got to his feet, still rattled by the red Organoid's surprise attack. He looked to his left and gasped, seeing Shadow collapsed on his side. He rushed over to his friend's side and leaned down to him. His eyes were dim and his breathing almost nonexistent, due to one of the worst wounds Copper had ever seen- three deep slashes on the black Organoid's soft throat. Unbelievably, Shadow's eyes flashed slightly and he spoke.

"R-Raven… red…" he whispered before he lost consciousness again.

"What?" Copper asked, confused by his friend's words. Before he could ask again, he heard a loud snarl off to his left. He froze, fearing the thought that the red Organoid was still in the cave. A different sound; a wet, almost eating noise, caught his attention. _'What in the world is that?' _he thought, turning towards the sounds' source. He walked over towards the chamber it had originated from and froze, seeing the red Organoid bent over something.

"Help… please…" Raven cried weakly. Then it hit him…

'_It… it's __feeding__ on him!'_

Copper was frozen, unsure of what to do. His eyes wandered from the hulking form of the red Organoid to Raven; unmoving and bleeding in the crimson Organoid's jaws. Seeing Raven clutched in the Organoid's jaws triggered something in Copper, like an overwhelming instinct. Forgetting his fear, he roared, causing the Organoid to release Raven and turn to him. The look of fear on its face faded and was replaced by one of annoyance as it saw it was only him.

"What do you want, gold?" he hissed, glaring at the thinly-armored Organoid.

"Get away from him!" Copper roared, baring his fangs.

"I'm too busy feeding right now to fight with you, so I suggest you leave me before I finish, gold." The Red replied calmly, turning away from the gold Organoid back towards Raven. Hearing a pained cry from Raven as the Red's jaws closed on his shoulder again infuriated Copper. With an enraged snarl, he attacked, tackling the Red as he snapped at his exposed throat. The Red yelped in surprise and released Raven as the gold-clad Organoid rushed him. Copper roared and rammed him again, forcing the crimson Organoid away from Raven.

Hissing in rage, the Red swung his heavy tail at the attacker, who dodged easily. Copper roared and lunged, his jaws snapping shut on the red Organoid's unprotected throat. The Red screamed in pain and whipped around violently, trying to shake Copper off. Copper held on, and began to force the Red out into the main chamber, away from Raven, and towards the outside ledge.

With a final shove, he pushed the crimson Organoid over the edge. The Red roared in surprise as he feel and hit the canyon floor. Copper looked down at his foe, and was surprised to see the now-wounded Organoid struggle to his feet.

"Be gone, red!" Copper roared at the fallen Organoid, fanning his coal-black wings. The Red looked up at the golden Organoid before he fired his boosters and disappeared down the winding canyon. Copper watched him vanish, and then turned back into the cave. He glanced over at Shadow, just to see how his condition was. A loud wheeze filled the air with every labored breath he took, but at least he was still breathing.

Copper turned away from the black Organoid and walked towards the chamber Raven was in. He stopped suddenly, hearing a quiet rustling noise inside the chamber. _'He couldn't still be conscious, could he?' _Copper thought, listening to the soft shuffling. He turned slowly into the chamber as quietly as he could, so not to frighten him. Copper expected to see the boy unconscious, but instead he was greeted by narrowed, violet eyes.

"Holy Helkat…" Copper cursed under his breath, seeing the young pilot's wounded shoulder, which was drenched in blood and the silvery-clear fluid. _'How is he still conscious? A full-grown Organoid just fed on him; he shouldn't have enough energy to stay awake! He's strong… for a human…' _Copper thought, looking at the boy with his jaw agape. To his astonishment, Raven tried to get to his feet, but failed miserably and collapsed back down to the ground with a yelp.

Copper growled softly as he walked over to his side and leaned down to him. Raven tensed up and closed his eyes, expecting another attack. Copper growled lowly and lightly nudged his arm, trying to show he wasn't going to hurt him. Still, Raven didn't relax or react to him, so Copper lifted his head away and walked back out to Shadow.

* * *

Raven heard a loud roar behind the crimson Organoid, causing it to let go of his shoulder. He opened his eyes slightly, and couldn't believe his eyes, for there was yet _another _Organoid standing behind the red Organoid. This one was a golden color with black underpaneling, and had shining, greenish-black eyes. It roared at the Organoid that had attacked him and curled its lip, exposing its sharp, silver teeth. The red Organoid seemed completely unfazed and growled back to it, like it wasn't afraid in the slightest. It even turned its back to the snarling gold Organoid as it turned back to him.

The crimson Organoid bent down to him and clamped its jaws back onto his shoulder. Raven cried out weakly in pain, closing his eyes again. Suddenly, the Organoid's jaws were ripped off him as the Organoid roared in pain. He forced his eyes open, and gasped at what he saw. The gold Organoid had rammed the red Organoid, forcing it into a corner. It hissed and swung at the other with its tail, but the gold Organoid ducked and bit into its neck. It screamed loudly and jerked sharply, trying to yank its neck free of the attacking Organoid's jaws. The golden Organoid growled, and slowly pulled it out into another chamber and out of sight.

A loud scream of pain and a roar of victory announced that the fight had ended. Raven heard the loud, clanking footsteps of one of them approach the chamber he was in, and he was afraid the red Organoid had won and had returned to finish him off. The Organoid that peered in at him was not the red, however, but the golden one.

'_Is it going to attack me?' _Raven thought as the Organoid stared at him and growled. _'It took down the red one… probably just to get at me…' _He tried to get to his feet, but was too weak and slid back down to the ground with a pained cry. The Organoid growled again and walked towards him. Raven closed his eyes and tensed, expecting it to bite him like the red Organoid had, as it leaned down and snorted quietly. It didn't bite him; instead it growled lowly and lightly nudged his arm. He still was scared that the Organoid was going to hurt him, so he didn't move or react to its nudging.

Eventually, the Organoid lifted its head and walked away, making an almost fuming noise. Only after he was sure the Organoid was gone, Raven opened his eyes and looked around. He really hadn't had time to look and see where he was before the red Organoid attacked him. From what he could see, he determined he was in a cave of some sort, and holes in the cave roof leaked in sunlight. But other than that he hadn't the slightest idea about where he was exactly. He brushed some dust off of his right side where he had been laying on the floor and touched something wet.

Suddenly, pain shot up his side, causing him to cry out and clutch his ribs. A few seconds later the pain subsided, and he removed his hand and looked down. He gasped at what he saw- a bullet wound. _'Where the Helkat did that come from?!' _he thought, looking at it closely. As he looked closer, he saw something odd- some of the silvery-clear fluid, like what had been on the red Organoid's jaws, was on the wound. _'It must numb the pain and stop the bleeding, cause I only felt it when I brushed the stuff off and there isn't a lot of blood…' _he thought, but the strange liquid still puzzled him.

He heard something outside in the larger chamber, and lifted his head to try and see what it was. It was too dark to make out any details, but he could see what he believed was the gold Organoid bent over a lump on the floor. He heard it growl, and was surprised to hear another growl _answer _it. _'There's __another__ one?!' _Raven thought in astonishment. Sure enough, the lump stood up, revealing itself as another Organoid. _'I thought Organoids were extremely rare, so why have I seen __three__ in a span of five minutes?!' _he thought.

The two Organoids growled at each other, almost like they were talking to one another. The new one turned and looked at him with bright blue eyes before it turned back to the golden one and growled loudly. The gold Organoid growled an answer and looked at him too. _'What are they doing?' _Raven thought, not understanding the two Organoids' strange actions.

As he watched, the gold Organoid disappeared outside the cave, leaving the other Organoid alone. It turned and looked at him, and started to walk towards him. _'Oh great… now this one wants to chew on me…' _Raven thought sarcastically, watching the Organoid stop about six feet from him and look at him. Raven looked up at the Organoid, and couldn't help but stare.

This Organoid was much larger than the thin gold one, and much more different in appearance. Instead of the lighter colors of the other two, this one was black and had bright, sky-blue eyes. The reptilian-like fringes that adorned its head gave it a fierce appearance, but the warmth of its eyes created a feeling of intelligence. _'What am I saying? It just wants to eat me like the red one was…' _Raven thought grimly, looking at its claws and talons.

As if in response, the dark Organoid cocked its head and growled lowly, as if in thought. That's when Raven saw the deep slashes on the Organoid's throat. _'Those look bad… where did it get wounds that severe?' _Raven thought, feeling almost sympathetic for the metal creature's wounds. The Organoid once again cocked its head, and regarded him with almost curious eyes.

Lightly bobbing its head, the black Organoid slowly started towards him, pausing to look at him after every step. Its eyes widened as it saw the puncture wounds on his shoulder. A look almost of concern filled its eyes, and it seemed to be frozen with shock. A loud growl escaped its throat as it walked over to his side and looked at his torn shoulder.

Raven looked up at the dark Organoid that hovered over him. It growled quietly, and bent down to his level, never taking its eyes off his wounded shoulder. It was only a few inches away from him, and Raven could see some of the strange silver stuff in its mouth. _'Great…' _Raven thought sarcastically, _'This one's going to bite me like the red one did…' _The Organoid growled and opened its jaws slightly as it moved towards him. Raven closed his eyes and turned away, tensing when he felt the Organoid's warm tongue on his bloodied shoulder. He cringed, for the contact burned and he was expecting to feel its teeth tear at him any second.

The Organoid growled quietly and began lapping up the blood from his wounds, at the same time covering them in the silvery-clear fluid. The pain and bleeding from the injuries slowly decreased, and soon was almost gone. The Organoid snorted and lifted its head, turning to look at Raven, even though his eyes were closed. Growling softly, the Organoid lightly tapped him under his chin, almost like a cat would. Raven shut his eyes tighter and turned away, not knowing what it was doing.

Exhaling noisily, the Organoid softly nudged his uninjured shoulder, like it was trying to wake him up. Groaning, Raven slowly opened his eyes and looked at the black Organoid. The Organoid lightly tilted its head and made a noise similar to a croon. Raven once again tried to get to his feet, but this time the Organoid carefully pushed him back down. _'What? Why won't it let me up?' _Raven thought, looking up at the dark Organoid strangely.

_/Do not move, you will upset your wounds/ _The Organoid said sternly in his head, looking him in the eyes. Raven was completely stunned, the Organoid actually _talked _to him. _'Am I imagining things? Or did that Organoid really just __talk__?!' _Raven thought in disbelief, staring at the metallic dragon in front of him.

_/Yes, I __did__ just talk to you, young Raven/ _The black Organoid said with an almost mocking tone, _/And I do have a name besides Organoid, you know/ _It added, smirking slightly. Raven finally recovered enough to answer it.

"Then… then what is your name?" Raven asked, still not believing he was talking with an Organoid.

_/Shadow/ _The dark Organoid answered, _/Please know Raven that I am not going to hurt you. After getting shot at by Republican soldiers and nearly killed by that red demon, I would not even think of harming you/_

"You… you pulled me out of the Raptor?" Raven asked the Organoid, the earlier events of the day slowly started to make sense.

_/Yes. You were lucky I found you before the Republican soldiers did. And that Copper was able to drive away that devil of an Organoid/ _Shadow replied, lying down beside Raven to his left.

"Thank you, Shadow." Raven thanked the Organoid, "I'm guessing that Copper is the golden Organoid, right?"

_/Yes, he is. You can trust him; he has been my friend since I was a hatchling. He saved your life, Raven. You can trust your life with him, I have many times and he has never let me down/ _Shadow nodded.

"I'll be sure to thank him when he gets back. Where'd he go, anyway?" Raven turned to the black Organoid curled up to his left.

_/He wanted to make sure that the Red was gone/ _Shadow answered.

"Hmm…" Raven leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was completely exhausted, which could be expected considering he was nearly killed in a Zoids battle, hit with a bullet, and fed upon by an adult Organoid. Shadow laid his head on the stone floor, careful of his wounded throat.

_/You should rest Raven, you will need all the strength you can get/ _Shadow said quietly, closing his eyes. Raven looked down at the Organoid that was now almost asleep.

"Yeah…" he whispered, "You should, too…" He laid his left hand on the dark Organoid's muzzle and slowly moved his hand over the reptilian crest. Shadow purred loudly, and tapped his tail against the ground. _'He's just a big kitten…' _Raven thought, smiling inwardly.

_/I heard that/ _Shadow opened an eye lazily and looked at Raven with a grin before he closed it again. Raven couldn't help but smirk at the Organoid. Soon, both of them were sound asleep, unaware that the Red was scheming to kill them both at the very same time…

* * *

Ambient was laying on a ledge overlooking the canyon, basking in the fading light. His left leg was cracked slightly from the fall, but the other injuries he had sustained in the fight were minor and mostly healed due to feeding. _'My leg will heal quickly after all the extra energy I consumed, and then I can enact my revenge…' _Ambient thought with an evil grin as he casually licked the blood from his muzzle and claws.

After he finished cleaning the still wet blood from his crimson armor, he laid his head on the ground and closed his eyes. _'Soon, Raven… as soon as this leg is healed you're time will be up…' _he smirked cruelly, unconsciously curling and uncurling the tip of his tail slowly. If he hadn't been lost in thought, he might have heard the quiet scraping of tiny claws on stone as something snuck up behind him from inside the cave's mouth that was yawning widely behind him.

Suddenly, something pounced on the tip of his tail with a small roar. Ambient wrapped his tail-tip around the tiny attacker's tail and brought it up to his face, not even bothering to open his eyes. The small blue creature squirmed in his grip in a desperate attempt to escape, but eventually gave up and just hung there, upside-down.

"Your attack method needs some work, Orkari." Ambient said quietly to the small hatchling as he turned towards it, opening his eyes.

"Sahwe, fahzer…" the sapphire-blue Organoid answered in a sad tone, disappointed that he hadn't scared his father.

"That's alright, Orkari." Ambient reassured the chick he wasn't angry. He lowered the Organoid to the ground and laid him on his back, releasing his tail. The small hatchling wiggled his legs frantically, before finally succeeded in turning right side-up and shook the dust from his small metal body. His sapphire body gleamed in the dying red light of the sun, making it almost glow. Clumps of sharp, pointed spines covered his shoulders, back, hip, and the tops of his arms and legs. His head was adorned by a horn in-between his eyes (picture Specula's) that was surrounded by more spines. A few pairs of the same spines on his cheeks and atop his nose were dangerously sharp but very short. A row of spikes also hung from below his chin. His tail-tip bore a cluster of longer spines, that even though he was no longer than Labrador retriever could deliver a painful blow. The boosters on his back were laid flat, their outline almost melting into his streamlined body. But his most striking feature was his bright, yellowish-orange eyes.

"Fahzer, I hungee…" Orkari whined, butting Ambient's arm with a loud mew.

"Patience, Orkari, patience…" Ambient calmed the whimpering chick, "…I'll go hunting tomorrow, I just need to rest for a little bit and let my leg heal up…" he added, seeing the hatchling's sad face.

"Wha happened to your leg, fahzer?" Orkari asked curiously, cocking his head.

"I was roughing up two Organoids when one scored a lucky hit, nothing bad, so don't worry Orkari." He told the young Organoid with a hint of pride evident in his voice.

"Wow fahzer! Two Organoids?!" Orkari squeaked in astonishment.

"Yes Orkari, two Organoids…" Ambient sighed, lowering his head to the ground beside the small chick. Orkari yawned loudly and curled up next to him, snuggling against his chest. Ambient purred loudly, which calmed and relaxed the young hatchling. The last rays of the sun faded behind the lip of the canyon, casting a shadow on the pair.

"Goodnye, fahzer." Orkari yawned and curled up tighter into a ball.

"Night, Orkari…" Ambient whispered to the now sleeping chick. He had found the poor thing cowering in a cave a few weeks ago, and had begun raising the hatchling as his own. He had been scavenging chunks of Zoid Cores from downed Zoids for him to feed off of, but now he had another idea in mind, an idea that involved a certain ebony-haired pilot whom he had just tried to kill…

'_I'll kill two Pteras with one shot… I can get my revenge on Raven and feed Orkari, and teach him how to use his… special ability…'_

* * *

**AN (Very important!! Please read!!)**- What? I can't make Ambient a good father?XP Even though I hate him I can picture him as a pretty good father. I tried to make Orkari's dialogue as realistic as possible, but I haven't been young for a long time so I had to guess how a hatchling Organoid would mispronounce words.XD This chapter was a roller coaster, and I apologize. I'm going through an _**extremely **_tough time right now. School finals are coming up, so I'm very stressed over that. But the really distressing thing right now is that my health teacher, Mr. David Henwood, died yesterday from an arrhythmic cardiac arrest. He was supposed to retire on the 31st after 35 years of teaching, but he never got to. From what I know he collapsed at his house while cooking Mother's Day lunch for his wife when he collapsed. They had him in an ambulance in a matter of minutes, but he wasn't responding. He was on life-support for nearly two days, but sadly he was beyond saving. I'm upset because this is bringing up bad memories from last year (see my profile, it'll tell you what happened last year). Please be kind in your reviews, I don't think I can handle a verbal assault right now. Please review guys; I need to know what you think. No flamers please. I also took away the review limit for new chappies because I now believe them to be unfair. Anyway, please review.

Ibeyla:P

Oh... here's a little guide in case some of you got confused...

"hello"- normal speech (human-to-human, Organoid-to-Organoid, ect.)  
_'Great...'- _thoughts/thinking (human thoughts, Organoid thoughts.  
_feeding- _emphasis/added emotion  
_/Yes/- _Organoid-to-human mind speech

I think that covers all the types of speech and stuff. Now please go and leave a nice little review for me.XP


	5. The Spectral Sapphire

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! Ever since I changed the title from _**Shadow in the Smoke**_ to _**The Dark Savior **_I have gotten a LOT more hits! Personally I like this title better. This was the original title I had named this fic, but as I was posting it thought up the new name. Well, I _tried _to write a Kingdom Hearts fic called _**Heart of a Wyvern**_ last night and got it typed and published. It hasn't even bet hit on yet, so I'm kinda down that no one has even bothered to look at it, let alone review. T.T I was hoping that maybe someone might at least _look _at it, but it's been completely ignored. I had no idea that the Kingdom Hearts authors were so cruel and rude to new people (except you, randomcat and AntiMusicMan! You guys are great!XD). That pretty much broke my spirit and hope for all the Kingdom Hearts fics I was going to write. I can't even bring myself to look at the other fics, and I think I might just delete my fic there. T.T I'm going to stick with Zoids and stay here where I'm accepted and not completely ignored by everyone. Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read and review m fics. My love for Kingdom Hearts has been broken, but my love for Zoids has ever been stronger! So as a thank you, I'm updating this fic early! Without further a due, chapter 5- The Spectral Sapphire! (I LOVE how the name of this chappie sounds!!XD)

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_**.:Chapter 5: The Spectral Sapphire:.**_

Orkari snored softly as he slept, snuggled close against Ambient in the damp cold of the desert night. He began to twitch and mew pitifully as his dream turned into a nightmare.

_Orkari watched in horror as his mother, Kai-annai, was killed by a group of soldier that had tried to steal her hatchlings. Orkari and his sister, Okamau, ran as fast as they could back into the cave. They huddled together deep in the cave, trembling with fear. She cried out loudly in fear and shock, and Orkari tried to comfort her, but she was too badly shaken. Footsteps approaching the chamber they were cowering in silenced her, for a soldier had followed them and was looking for them. Orkari pushed her behind a rock, hiding her as the soldier looked in and reached for him. It was too late for Orkari to hide, so he turned and roared as threateningly as a terrified hatchling could. All that came out was a loud squeak, but the sight of his teeth and spines covered body was enough to make the soldier second-guess grabbing him. _

_With a hiss, Orkari bit his hand, causing him to back up and shout. Orkari took the chance to push his dark-violet sister out and away from the threat. They ran out of the cave and tried to fly away, but Okamau lagged behind and was caught. Orkari turned and bit the soldier, flying around his sister's captor and clawing at him. He dropped Okamau, who quickly spread her yellow-orange wings and flew away, and Orkari started to fly after her, but the soldier grabbed his tail and pulled him down. He shrieked in surprise and clawed at the soldier's hand, but it was no use. Orkari screamed and struggled as he was forced into a cage, and caught a glimpse of Okamau, hovering a few feet away from the soldiers. _

_"Go Okamau! Or they'll get you, too! Find fahzer! Leave, you can't help me! Save yourself!" he screamed to his sister. She cried sadly back, flying away down the narrow gulch. His mortally wounded grey brother, Ouran, was in the cage with him, but he was on the verge of death. His belly and chest were horribly slashed by one of the human's thin little removable claws, and his eyes were just faintly flickering. Orkari laid down beside him and tried to comfort his failing brother, but he passed only minutes later. The humans put the cage on the ground as they searched another cave for more nests, and left him alone. He tried to unlatch it, but he couldn't. _

_Suddenly, Okamau appeared and turned the lock, opening the door. She quickly flew up and away, motioning for him to follow. He fired his boosters, but one of the soldiers saw him. He knew if he followed Okamau he would lead them right to her, so he flew off in the opposite direction, leading them away from her so that maybe she could escape and bring back father. He flew back to the cave and landed near his mother. Orkari nudged his mother's snout, but she was dead. He mewed sadly and hid in the same chamber he had with Okamau, and laid behind the same rock. He curled up and whimpered sadly, for his mother and clutch mates were all dead, and he was forever separated from Okamau. He almost wished the soldiers had killed him… for death was better than living alone…_

Orkari was shook from his nightmare by a gentle nudge from Ambient.

"Orkari? Orkari, are you alright?" he asked, looking at the trembling hatchling with concern.

"Fahzer…" Orkari whined and hugged Ambient's snout, whimpering in fear and sadness.

"It's okay, little one, you're safe now…" Ambient soothed the frightened hatchling, closing his eyes and purring. Orkari settled down, but he still whined and clung to him. _'Must be the dreams again… this is the fourth time this week he's woken up screaming… poor thing…'_ Ambient thought, sighing slightly.

"Are… are the mean huemans going to take you away like mama, fahzer?" Orkari whimpered, looking at Ambient with blurry eyes.

"No they won't Orkari, I won't let them do that to you again, I promise…" Ambient whispered, opening his eyes, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Okay, fahzer." Orkari answered, crawling up on his adoptive father's snout and curling up. Ambient stood up and walked into the cave, carefully balancing the hatchling on his muzzle. He walked into a small chamber to his right and lowered his head, letting Orkari down. Orkari climbed off and walked over to his 'bed', a pile of soft leaves and a blanket taken from an abandoned building. Yawning loudly, he curled up into a ball on his soft bed and soon was fast asleep.

"Goodnight, Orkari…" Ambient whispered, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you…" Quietly, he walked out and made his way to his own chamber adjacent Orkari's. He laid down on the hard stone and curled up, his red armor making him virtually invisible in the low light of the cavern. Sighing, he too fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Shadow was awoken by a loud crash and a roar of surprise and rage in the main chamber. Raven was also awakened, and he was looking down at him.

"What was that?!" he whispered loudly, probably afraid the Red had returned.

_/I don't know. Stay here/ _Shadow told him mentally as he got to his feet and looked out the doorway into the dark cavern. He slowly peered around the edge, and saw the form of an Organoid sprawled out on the floor.

"Helkat…" Copper groaned as he pulled his leg out of a hole in the floor.

"Way to go, Copper." Shadow said sarcastically, snickering at his friend.

"Shut-up Shadow and help me up!" Copper hissed at him, his shining green eyes narrowing as he glared at his friend. Shadow laughed and pulled Copper to his feet. That's when he saw his friend was ladened with a large bag.

"Copper? What's with the bag?" Shadow asked, cocking his head as he looked at what his friend was carrying.

"I went to my cave and brought back some medical supplies. Raven's condition is too bad to move him, so instead of moving him there I brought some of the supplies here." Copper answered, dropping the heavy bag to the ground.

"Good idea. We'll get him patched up tomorrow, right now let's let him rest and recover some strength." Shadow said as he turned back into the chamber he had come from. He laid back down where he had been.

"What was it?" Raven asked, looking down at the black Organoid.

_/Copper fell/_ Shadow chuckled at his friend's clumsiness.

"He fell? He about gave us heart attacks!" Raven couldn't help but laugh at the fact the golden Organoid had tripped and fallen. As if on cue, Copper walked into the chamber, bag in hand.

_/You shouldn't be laughing, Raven, I fell because I was weighed down with medical supplies/_ Copper said with a hint of mocking in his voice as he set the heavy bag down off in a corner.

"Well, you shouldn't scare Shadow and me like that!" Raven retorted sarcastically.

_/I wasn't __trying__ to scare you, I just couldn't help but roar when I fell, it surprised me/_ Copper said back, emphasizing the last three words.

"Sure, Copper." Raven said sarcastically, "But why were you carrying supplies?"

_/For you. I need to patch you up, and I can't do that without supplies/_ Copper replied, motioning to his shoulder and arm.

_/But we will do that tomorrow. Right now let's sleep. I'm tired, and I'm sure you are too, Raven/_ Shadow said, yawning as he lowered his head back to the floor.

_/But first, here Raven, it will get cold tonight/_ Copper said, handing Raven a blanket that he had pulled from the bag.

"Thanks Copper." Raven thanked the gold Organoid, taking the blanket from his clawed hand.

_/You're welcome/_ Copper replied, turning as he walked out into the large center chamber. _/You two get some rest. I'll be lookout/ _He added, curling up in the middle of the large room and looking out the main entrance. Shadow and Raven were asleep in a matter of minutes, and unfortunately, so was Copper. With him asleep, no one saw the shadow of a little Organoid sneak past him and slip into Raven's chamber...

_**.:End of Chapter 5:.**_

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**AN**- (winces) I know this chappie's short, but I wanted to wait leave another cliffhanger!! Sorry, I'm just evil like that!!XD Again, sorry it's so short; I sorta had to force myself to write today. I'm still upset about my Kingdom Hearts fic's failure. I think I may type one last chapter for it, but if no one cares about it I might just let it die. If you've red and reviewed it, thank you and sorry if I disappointed you. I think I'm just going to stay here in the Zoids section, where you guys actually read my beloved fics and accept me. Wow… I sound really depressed. I am in fact, and a review or PM would really help me out. If you want to know my decision about _**Heart of a Wyvern**_, see my fic progress section or the news section in my profile. I'll start work on chapter 6 immediately, 'cause I know you want to know who the visitor is. This is now my most-viewed fic, with nearly 130 hits, and also my most-reviewed, with 12 reviews. Kudos to everyone who's red and reviewed this fic! As thanks I'll update on the double!!XD

Ibeyla:P


	6. The Violet Hatchling

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! Sorry the last chappie was so short! You know how I am; I MUST leave a cliffy at the end of EVERY chapter!XD Everybody seems to love little Orkari. I meant to make him cruel and ill-tempered, but somewhere between my head and the keyboard he turned into a cute little innocent baby.XD My mind is an enigma.XD Anyway, I knew that you guys would kill me if I left you hanging and then not update for awhile. And I don't want you guys to kill me!XP I digress, if you've red my other fic, _**The Distant Stars**_, you'll instantly know who the newcomer is. So I suggest you read that fic first if you want to know, or you could just read on.XP Without further a due, chapter 6- The Violet Hatchling! (I know it's sorta weak. So sue me!!XD)

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_**.:Chapter 6- The Violet Hatchling:.**_

Raven felt something strange, almost like a tickling, on his wrist. At first he thought it might be a lizard or something, because it felt small. A quiet hiss made him fear it might be something dangerous, like a snake. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his right hand. He expected to see a snake or lizard's dull eyes, but he wasn't expecting to see a pair of bright emerald eyes staring right back at him. Seeing a pair of bright eyes staring at you would be absolutely terrifying to most people, but not to him, mainly because of what the eyes belonged to- a small, violet Organoid, barely two feet long.

'_Where'd this one come from? Shadow never mentioned anything about another Organoid besides Copper…'_ Raven thought, looking at the tiny hatching. It squeaked and butted his hand, mewing loudly. Taking the hint, Raven stroked the hatchling's head, careful not to hurt it. The hatchling chirped happily and closed its eyes, purring loudly like a kitten. He couldn't help but laugh at the small, purring metal creature. It _looked_ completely harmless, with its soft eyes, smooth violet armor that was covered in black splotches, and little claws.

The hatchling yawned quietly and curled up on the edge of the blanket, huddling against his side like it was cold. Raven laid his hand on its small body and ran his fingers across its back, which calmed it down and made it purr again. Soon its purr faded into a quiet snore as it fell asleep. He was still curious as to where it came from.

"I'll ask Shadow tomorrow…" he whispered, still looking at the tinny creature.

_/Ask me what, Raven?/_ Shadow said in his mind as he lifted his head and yawned loudly.

"Where this came from…" Raven said, not looking up from the still sleeping hatchling.

_/Where what came from?/_ Shadow asked, cocking his head as he looked at him and stood up. He walked over to Raven and followed his gaze down to the sleeping hatchling. He gasped and jumped back, growling loudly.

"Shadow? Shadow, is something wrong with it?!" Raven asked, looking up at Shadow with look of concern.

_/Where did that hatchling come from?!/_ he shouted, growling loudly.

"I woke up and it was licking my wrist, so I don't know where it came from, why?" Raven questioned the dark Organoid.

_/Hatchlings rarely stray far from their parents' sides, which means there might be a mother Organoid nearby, and they can be very aggressive towards other Organoids, and wouldn't think twice about killing a person for no reason. Hatchlings also consume energy. Do you remember what the Red did to you?/_ Shadow cocked his head at Raven and glanced down at the curled up hatchling.

"Course I remember what the Red did, it was eating me alive! You don't forget something like that easily!" Raven said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

_/He wasn't eating __you__, Raven, he was draining your energy. While it is unusual for an adult Organoid to feed, hatchling must feed to survive. Until their self-supporting AI fully develops, they must consume energy for their systems to operate. Hatchlings aren't picky and will eat anything that their parents bring them, or anything they can hunt and bring down by themselves or in a pack. Back in Zoidian times they would hunt down Micros, but usually their parents would bring back chunks of a Zoid's Core. If an Organoid only takes small pieces from a Zoid's Core, the Zoid can replace that part of the Core and have few ill effects other than temporary weakness. But Organoids also captured people, and they didn't fair as well as the Zoids did. If the hatchlings consumed too much energy they died. Did the hatchling bite you?/_ Shadow lectured, looking down at Raven's wrist when he finished.

"No, no it didn't bite me. I think it was just cold, 'cause it huddled up next to me and fell asleep." Raven reassured Shadow, holding out his unmarked wrist as proof before laying his hand back down on the sleeping hatchling.

_/Odd…/_ Shadow said quietly, _/She's young enough that she still needs to feed, but she isn't showing any signs of aggression… hatchlings are usually terrified of humans, yet this one curled up right next to you and felt safe enough to fall asleep… very strange…/_ Shadow rambled, cocking his head at the hatchling.

"She?" Raven asked, looking at Shadow. He nodded in confirmation. "Well, she didn't attack me or anything; in fact, she actually woke me up and begged me for attention."

_/Very peculiar… another hatchling would have fed off you while you slept… I wonder why she deliberately woke you up, played with you, curled up beside you and then fell asleep… she seems to trust you a lot…/_ Shadow snorted loudly in frustration, not understanding the little Organoid's behavior.

As if in response, the hatchling lifted her head and yawned loudly. She looked up at Raven and squeaked happily, nuzzling his hand and cooing. Shadow growled lightly, surprising the hatchling, which shrieked and jumped into Raven's lap, mewing loudly.

"It's okay… it's just Shadow…" Raven said quietly, trying to comfort the chick. He stroked the trembling hatchling curled up on his lap, but she just mewed louder and buried her face in his hand.

Shadow cocked his head at the whimpering hatchling in confusion and looked up at Raven, not understanding what was going on.

"You scared her, Shadow… she's frightened." Raven said quietly, not looking up from the hatchling as he continued to stroke her.

_/Scared her? How did I scare her?/_ Shadow questioned.

"When you growled, she wasn't expecting it and it scared her. I wouldn't like it if I woke up and something a lot bigger than me growled behind me!" Raven couldn't help but laugh at his last sentence.

_/I guess you might be right…/_ Shadow grumbled, _/I am going to go ask Copper how that hatchling managed to get in here, he was supposed to be lookout… oh well, I should have guessed this would happen, he isn't the most vigilant Organoid…/_ Shadow trailed off as he walked out into the main chamber, leaving he and the hatchling alone.

"It's alright, he's gone…" he whispered to the still-shaking Organoid, stoking her back and folded wings. She finally started to settle down; here whimpering quieted and her shuddering lessened. After a few seconds, she finally calmed down and lifted her head, looking up at Raven inquisitively.

"That was just Shadow, he's a friend of mine, he won't hurt you, I promise." Raven reassured the hatchling, scratching her under the chin like one would a cat. She purred loudly and closed her eyes, wagging her tail happily.

A loud roar and crash in the front chamber made her jump and squeak in fear. She buried her head back in Raven's hand, whining loudly. Raven recognized the roar instantly and began to laugh.

"Don't worry, that was just Copper. He's even jumpier than you are and is very clumsy." Raven laughed, especially when the thought of him tripping earlier came back. The hatchling lifted her head and looked out into the chamber, cocking her head as she listened to the exchanging growls between the two Organoids. Yawning loudly, she curled back up in Raven's lap and fell asleep again.

* * *

Shadow walked out into the front chamber with a few _questions_ for Copper as to why the hatchling had been able to sneak into the cave. Sure enough, Copper was sprawled out on the floor, snoring loudly and pawing slightly as he dreamed.

"COPPER!!" Shadow yelled as loud as he could right next to his friend's audio receptor.

"AAHHH!!" Copper screamed and flew upwards, smashing his head on the ceiling and falling back to the ground in a jumbled heap. He looked around franticly, trying to find out where the roar had come from. That's when he saw Shadow rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Oh, Copper, you're too easy!!" Shadow stopped on his back, but soon started rolling in laughter again.

"SHADOW!! THAT WASN'T FUNNY!!" he snarled at his friend, angry that he was being laughed at. Shadow just ignored him and kept on laughing. Eventually, he managed to stop himself long enough to try and speak.

"Okay… okay… I'll stop… I need to… ask you something…" Shadow managed between laughs as he got to his feet.

"Very well, what then?" Copper asked, clearly _very_ annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know… oh yeah… WHY IS THERE A HATCHLING IN HERE?!" Shadow shouted.

"A WHAT?!" Copper gasped, jaw agape.

"Yeah, how did a hatchling manage to get in Raven's chamber while _you_ were on lookout?!" Shadow snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm tired! I fought the Red too, ya know!" Copper snapped back, also narrowing his eyes.

"True, but where did the hatchling come from?" Shadow asked, the venom gone from his voice.

"How should I know? Wait… it's in with Raven?!" Copper shouted, now afraid for Raven's safety.

"Yes, but she hasn't harmed him. She seems unusually trusting; she actually woke him up to play. I've never seen a hatchling so trusting of a human. I'll keep my eye on her, because she is young enough that she still needs to feed, so she could still be dangerous." Shadow assured his friend that Raven was okay and that the hatchling hadn't hurt him.

"Very strange… never heard of a hatchling doing that before. We still should keep a close eye on her, though, because you never really know with hatchlings, they could be cute and playful one second, then aggressive the next." Copper said seriously, doubting this hatchling Shadow was rambling about was really as harmless as he made her seem.

"She was terrified of me and she looked very thin and sorta sickly, I think she may have been abandoned or separated from her parents." Shadow said, again on a serious note.

"Poor thing…" Copper said quietly, "Can you be lookout for a few minutes? I'll be right back." Before Shadow could answer, he spread his coal-black wings and shot out of the cave.

"Humph… wonder why he's in such a hurry…" Shadow mumbled to himself, turning back towards Raven's chamber.

* * *

Raven watched the frail hatchling fall asleep in his lap. _'Baby Organoids are just like puppies, all they do is play and sleep…' _he thought with a smirk, _'Except puppies aren't metal and don't look like dragons…'_ he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes with a sigh. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

Just as he started to fall asleep, he heard the hatchling whine and nuzzle his hand. He opened his eyes and looked down at the chick. She was staring at him with her light-green eyes, before she mewed loudly. Trying to calm her down, Raven scratched her under the chin, like one would a kitten. Instantly, she calmed down and closed her eyes, purring loudly. Suddenly, the hatchling's eyes flashed open and she squeaked loudly, cocking her head and staring at his arm.

"What? This?" Raven said quietly, holding out his arm so she could see the large slash he had received from the Red. The hatchling chirped and cocked her head, looking at it closely. Purring quietly, she started licking the wound; much like Shadow had his shoulder earlier. He cringed at first, but the pain faded as the hatchling spread some of the silvery-clear fluid over the wound. Cooing as she lifted her head, the hatchling chirped again and rubbed her head against his arm, much like a cat would.

"Thank you, I feel much better…" Raven said quietly and patted the chick's head. She closed her eyes and squeaked happily, wagging her thin tail like a puppy.

_/Copper was sleeping on the job… __again__…/_ Shadow grumbled, shaking his head as he entered the chamber.

"Is that how the hatchling managed to get in?" Raven asked, although he could pretty much guess the answer.

_/Yeah… how is she? Has she bitten you or anything?/_ Shadow asked, looking at the now-standing hatchling on his lap.

"No, in fact…" Raven held up his injured arm, "… she cleaned the slash on my arm."

_/Let me see…/_ Shadow said sternly, leaning down to get a better look at the wound, _/Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded at all?/_

"No… why?" Raven asked, not really understanding why he was asking.

_/Well… a certain type of Organoid, called the Ago doku koori, can produce a powerful poison that looks harmless, but can knock you unconscious for hours. You sure you feel okay?/_ Shadow asked again, narrowing his bright eyes slightly.

"Shadow, I feel fine!" Raven said again, thinking Shadow was just overreacting to the fact the hatchling had cleaned his wound. The chick squeaked loudly at Shadow's figure, but didn't panic like last time.

_/If you say so… if you need me, I will be out in the main chamber waiting for Copper to return. You should get some rest, you need to keep your strength up/_ Shadow said as he walked back out into the front chamber.

Raven leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes again. The hatchling yawned and curled back up on his lap. Soon both of them were fast asleep, and Shadow was having a hard time keeping his eyes open as he waited for Copper to return. Eventually, his eyes too closed, and his quiet snores filled the cavern. With everyone asleep, no one saw the dark figure of an Organoid approach the cave from the darkened, thundering sky…

_**.:End of Chapter 6:.**_

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**AN**- Yay!! Long chappie!!XD Me and my cliffies…XD Isn't the new Organoid the cutest!!XD I love her to death! And you guys thought Orkari was the limit of my OC cuteness factor!XP It may take me a little longer to update, mainly because I'm going to my dad's tonight and I have to work from my mom's laptop. I'm sorta upset because there was a huge rock festival in Columbus over the weekend, with every band I love from _Red_ to _Shinedown_!! And I couldn't go!! T.T I digress, I've also been sick the last few days. Please leave a nice review for me! As always… **all flamers will be fed to my Organoids!!** Please review; I want to know how I did and what you guys think so far!XD

Ibeyla:P


	7. Okamau

**AN**- ShadowRebirth37 here! Alright guys, I've hit a wall with _**Rebirthing**_. I love that fic dearly, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I need some help deciding its fate. In my profile is a poll. Please vote on what I should do with it. Anyways, things will start heating up in this fic, with Ambient and Shadow and the hatchling. I'll try to update this fic more often, since I've freed up some time after posting chapter 2 of my KH fic, _**Heart of a Wyvern**_, and posted chapter 1 of my Ecco fic, _**Search for the Starred Ones**_. Please guys, I really want to continue _**Rebirthing**_ into the final episodes and possibly beyond, but so far people want me to leave it. Please guys, I want your opinion on what I should do. If you haven't red _**Rebirthing**_, I would appreciate it if you did then voted in my profile about what I should do with it. A few people are suspicious of the hatchling, which is fine. It's perfectly normal to be wary of a new arrival. The hatchling's motives may just become clear… oh crap! Me and my mouth!! Um… well I'm going to start the chapter before I leak anything else. Without further a-due, chapter 7- Okamau! (See, read _**The Distant Stars**_ and you'll know the Organoid!!XP) P.S- the Anonymous Review Blocker is 'off' so anonymous reviewers can now review!!XD

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_**.:Chapter 7- Okamau:.**_

Shadow was awoken by a loud crash and an Organoid's loud curse. His eyes flashed open and his head snapped to his left, towards where the sound had originated. What he saw made him freeze- for an Organoid was collapsed on the ground only _feet_ from Raven's chamber.

"Eve curse that hole!" The Organoid hissed through gritted teeth.

"Copper?" Shadow asked the fallen Organoid. The Organoid grunted a 'yes' to the dark Organoid. Only after he was sure that the Organoid was Copper, Shadow busted out in laughter, rolling on the floor at the fact that Copper had caught his foot in the _same_ hole that he had earlier.

"Shadow, shut up…" he growled, "… and help me up!" Shadow just kept on laughing as he rolled over into a crouch.

"Shadow?" he heard Raven shout from the chamber, concern evident in his voice. A loud piping cry told him the hatchling was also awake.

"It's alright, just Copper being clumsy again." He tried to reassure him calmly, but laughter bubbled up in his throat.

Shadow forced down his laughter and got to his feet. He walked over to his fallen friend and pulled him to his feet. That's when he spied something glowing in the golden Organoid's claws.

"Hey Copper, what's in your hand?" he asked, cocking his head at the strange object his friend was holding.

"This?" Copper asked, holding it up so Shadow could see it. Shadow nodded in confirmation, "Its Magnite. I brought it for the hatchling; she has to eat something, doesn't she?" Copper said sarcastically as he started towards Raven's chamber.

* * *

Raven woke to a loud roar in the main chamber. At first he thought he was dreaming, but a loud whine and nudge from the hatchling told him he wasn't. He opened his eyes and looked down at the whining chick. Trying to keep her quiet, he lightly stroked her back and looked out into the chamber.

"Shadow?" he shouted, trying to figure out what was going on. The hatchling squeaked loudly, as if she was asking Shadow what had happened.

"It's alright, just Copper being clumsy again." Shadow answered. By his voice he could tell Copper had probably fallen again. The hatchling mewed again and butted his hand, still afraid something was wrong in the outer chamber.

"Nothing's wrong, Copper just fell again. Go back to sleep…" he trailed off as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. The hatchling looked up at him, then down at his left hand, which was only a few inches away from her. There was a long scratch down his palm, and his glove was covered in dried blood. Cooing, she lightly nudged his hand and licked at the cut. Instantly, Raven jumped and pulled his hand away.

"Ouch! What did you do, bite me?" he said as he looked down at his hand. He froze when he saw the long, deep cut. _'Where did __that__ come from?'_ he thought, _'I must have gotten it when the Zoid collapsed, after I lost consciousness…'_ A loud cry from the hatchling broke his thoughts. He looked down at the chick, which was looking up at him with a look of concern and confusion.

Chirping, she lightly nudged his elbow, as if she was worried about him. Raven petted the hatchling with his right hand as he looked back at his wounded hand. The cut itself wasn't what had him worried; it was what was _in_ it. Dust, dirt and sand covered his hand along with dried blood. He knew that in his condition an infection could prove fatal.

"Just what I need…" he muttered to himself as he lowered his hand, closing his eyes and leaning back. The hatchling cooed and licked his wounded hand again. Raven cringed and moved his hand slightly, but she still tried to get at his hand. Something didn't feel quite right when he felt the hatchling lick the cut again. _'Why is that cut so sensitive? That fluid should have numbed it by now… it must be infected… great…'_ he thought. Soon the pain faded as the hatchling continued licking it. Mewing, the hatchling stopped and rubbed her face against his hand, purring loudly.

Without opening his eyes, he gently scratched the hatchling's head. She purred loudly and laid her head on his wrist. Sighing loudly, she fell asleep, and Raven soon followed. They were asleep for only a little while, for a few minutes later Copper and Shadow walked in.

* * *

"Alright Raven, where's the ha-" Copper stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the hatchling on Raven's lap in disbelief. The hatchling lifted her head and yawned, turning towards Copper. She froze as she saw Copper, and she squeaked and butted Raven's hand, waking him up.

"What now?" he said quietly, before he saw Copper in the entrance of the chamber. He was staring at him with his jaws open, and he wasn't moving. His mouth started to move, like he was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out.

"O-Oka… Okamau…" he stuttered, a grin spreading on his face. The hatchling perked-up at the word, and she chirped loudly and jumped onto the floor, running towards Copper. She brushed against his leg like a cat, cooing and closing her eyes. Copper lowered his head and gently nuzzled the hatchling, growling softly.

"What's going on?" Raven asked, looking towards Shadow, who was currently standing behind Copper. He shook his head and shrugged, obviously as clueless as Raven was.

"Copper? What exactly is going on?" Shadow asked the gold Organoid.

"Shadow…" he said quietly, "… this is Kai-annai's daughter, Okamau."

"Kai-annai's?!" She survived the Death Saurer?!" Shadow gasped, shocked one of his old Stark-mates had actually survived the near destruction of the world.

"Yes, but she was killed by Republican soldiers when they tried to capture her hatchlings. They shot her and captured her sons Ouran and Orkari, but Okamau managed to escape. Ouran was badly injured; I think he might have died in captivity. I don't know what became of Orkari, he tried to fight, but even he being an Ago Doku Koori wasn't enough for him to escape. That was nearly two weeks ago, I wonder how Okamau managed that long without feeding…" Copper trailed off, still looking at the little hatchling at his feet.

"How do you know this, Copper? How do you know Kai-annai died?" Shadow asked, his voice cracking slightly at the mention of his late Stark-mate's death.

"Since her mate, Cairo, was killed by the same soldiers that eventually killed her shortly after she laid her eggs, I helped her out by hunting for her hatchlings when they hatched. I was just returning with a rare find of Magnite when the soldiers attacked. She told me to get away and that I couldn't help, and regrettably, I knew she was right. I watched her die and watched her hatchling get caught or killed. It was too much, I couldn't take it anymore, so I flew away, not wanting to see Okamau or Orkari killed. Thank Eve Okamau got away; she wouldn't have been able to survive without another Organoid that knew her to care for her, for she's mute when it comes to language. She can't say any words, only growl and such." Copper said quietly, looking up at Shadow.

"If soldiers killed Kai-annai and her clutch-mates, why did she come right up to Raven? You think after going through that she wouldn't even look at a human…" Shadow asked, looking at the hatchling quizzically.

"She has a gift of sorts; she can tell if someone or something is friend or foe just by their look, smell, behavior, and so-on. Honestly I'm not sure how she does it, but she does. She only really is afraid of adults and males, because of the soldiers. Okamau also is unusually caring and gentle; she would always look after the other hatchlings, particularly clumsy Orkari." Copper said, laughing slightly at his last sentence.

"Odd for such a young Organoid to be so kind…" Shadow mused out loud, "Wait, her brother was an Ago Doku Koori?! Does that mean she is too?!" he said loudly, casting a worried glance at Raven.

"No she isn't. Orkari was the only hatchling in the clutch that was Ago Doku Koori. Even though he was, he was unusually docile for one. He was still extremely aggressive towards humans, but that can be expected from a young male Ago Doku Koori. But no, Okamau isn't an Ago Doku Koori." Copper reassured Shadow that Okamau wasn't an extremely dangerous poisonous Organoid.

"Thank Eve for that…" Shadow said quietly, "But what are we going to do with her? We'll have to look after her since she doesn't have a family anymore…"

"I'll watch her; she trusts me since I hunted for her and her clutch-mates since she was born." Copper replied.

"Alright, why don't you take Okamau out into the main chamber and give her the Magnite so Raven can sleep." Shadow suggested, motioning out into the front chamber.

"Okay, c'mon Oka, let's let Raven get some rest." Copper said to the little Organoid as he turned and started out into the main chamber. Okamau squeaked and started to follow, but she turned and looked back at Raven. "He'll be fine Oka, but we need to get some energy in you before you fall over." Copper turned back to the chick. She chirped and reluctantly followed him out.

_/Copper will keep her occupied for a little while. I suggest you get some sleep while you can, I know I am/_ Shadow said to Raven as he curled up next to the chamber entrance.

"I will…" Raven said as he straightened out the blanket, "What was going on with Copper? He seemed surprised about something."

_/Well… that hatchling was the daughter of one of our old friends, a light purple female named Kai-annai. Apparently she was killed a few weeks ago by a group of Republican soldiers and Okamau was the only hatchling that managed to escape. Copper is going to take care of her until she can survive on her own/_ Shadow informed him as he yawned and lowered his head.

"Republican soldiers?" Raven asked.

_/Yeah, they were trying to capture Okamau and her brothers/_ Shadow answered, opening his eye slightly.

"And the Republicans say _we're_ the bad guys…" Raven muttered as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Shadow sighed and closed his eyes as well, and soon he and Raven were both asleep.

* * *

"C'mon Oka, its good!" Copper said, holding a small piece of Magnite in front of the hatchling's face. Okamau snorted in disgust and turned her nose up at it, obviously not interested in the glowing blue mineral.

"Just a piece Oka!" he begged the dark violet chick, "C'mon, its really good Oka, see?" he put a little of the Magnite in his mouth and ate it, making 'mmm' noises, like one would if one was trying to get a child to eat a new food. Okamau just stared at him with an 'you're stupid' look and made a disgusted 'bleh' noise.

"For the sake of Eve! Please just try it, Oka!" Copper muttered, keeping the first part quiet so the hatchling wouldn't hear his curse. Copper knew well that hatchling detested the taste of Magnite, but she needed to eat it, but it was harder than trying to get medicine in a child. Even though Copper was a very patient Organoid, he was quickly losing his with the small violet hatchling. Sighing, he gave up and walked in to Shadow.

"Shadow, she won't eat the Magnite, she won't even look at it! Could you try and see if she'll take it from you?" Copper asked Shadow after he kicked him in the side to wake him up.

"Sure, I'll try Copper." Shadow said as he stretched like a cat and got to his feet. He walked out and picked up a chip of the Magnite.

"Here Okamau, try this, it'll make you feel better…" Shadow crooned and held the Magnite out for her to take. She leaned down and sniffed it like a puppy, before she lifted away and stuck out her tongue, making a 'bleh' noise.

"Please girl, just swallow it really quick and you won't have to taste it…" Shadow begged, doing it himself so she could see how easy it is to just swallow it. She still turned her nose up at it. Sighing, Shadow too gave up and turned to Copper.

"Not even for you, huh?" Copper said, looking at the stubborn hatchling, who chirped innocently.

"Yeah…" Shadow sighed, "… maybe she'll take it from Raven?"

"It's worth a try…" Copper said quietly and turned to look at Raven, who was awake from all the talking.

"Hey Raven, the hatchling won't eat, I think she might not trust us enough, can you try and see if she'll take some Magnite from you?" Shadow shouted to Raven. He just looked at him strangely. "Oh yeah…" Shadow laughed nervously, remembering that Raven couldn't understand the Organoid language.

_/Raven, Okamau won't take Magnite from us, we think she doesn't trust us enough. Could you maybe try and see if she might take some Magnite from you?/ _Copper said mentally, motioning to Okamau and the Zoid Magnite on the floor.

"Yeah… I'll try…" Raven said, looking at them both strangely. Copper handed him some of the Magnite and nudged Okamau over. She squealed in protest, but stopped when she saw Raven. She walked over to him stopped, seeing the Magnite.

_/Try and give her the Magnite/_ Shadow said, motioning to Okamau.

"Alright…" He sighed, "Here Okamau, eat some of this…" He said quietly, holding out a small piece of Magnite in the palm of his hand so she could see. Okamau cocked her head as she looked at the Magnite, almost thinking about what to do. She looked up at Raven as if she was asking him what she should do.

"Just eat it, it will make you feel better if you do…" He reassured the chick that it was alright. Snorting quietly, she picked it up in her jaws, making a disgusted face as she swallowed. "See? That wasn't _so_ bad, right?" he said quietly, softly patting Okamau's head. She cooed and closed her eyes, wagging her tail.

_/Wow Raven…/_ Shadow said. _/… you're a natural with hatchlings, its almost like you've been around Organoids before!/_

"Well, before today I've never seen an Organoid before… so I have no idea why they like me so much…" Raven answered, not looking up from the chirping hatchling as he continued to pat her.

_/No that she's fed, let's get some rest/_ Copper said, yawning loudly. Shadow curled back up where he had been, and Copper laid down where he was standing. Okamau curled up beside Raven, laying her head in his lap like a puppy. Raven stroked her head gently as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Within minutes, everyone was asleep, so nobody saw the Organoid land on the outside ledge, which flicked its spine-fringed tail and narrowed its fiery green eyes through the misting rain…

_**.:End of Chapter 7:.**_

* * *

**AN**- See! The hatchling isn't evil!XP Anyway, what do you guys think? Things are starting to heat up! Well, they will in the next few chapters! I'll try to update soon, but it still may be a few days before I start work on chapter 8. I turned off the Anonymous Review Blocker, so anonymous reviewers can now review! I'm really sorry about that! I used to be an anonymous reviewer before I got my account, so I know what it feels like to be denied the opportunity to review! Please forgive me and review!!XD Until next chapter.

Ibeyla:P


	8. The Demon Strikes

**AN**- ShadowRebirth37 here! Isn't little Okamau the cutest? And sweetest? Aw, I just wanna hug her!!XD No one really said anything about the _**major**_cliffy I left at the end of the last chapter!! I mean seriously! That was a huge plot thing right there! I mean come on guys- everybody's asleep, it's storming and starting to pour rain outside, and Ambient's standing right outside!! Oops… I think I said too much. Curse my mouth! I'm gonna shut-up before I leak any more. Oh yeah, why haven't I had any anonymous reviewers? I turned off the blocker, so why haven't the other half of the 250+ hits left reviews? C'mon guys, I turned it off, please review! I want to know everyone's thoughts and feelings on this and all my other fics! Anyway, I hope to maybe have at least _**1**_ anonymous review with this chapter! Just a forewarning- this chapter will be _**horribly**_ short. I'm sorry, I have finals starting tomorrow 'til Monday, so I've been busy with all the end of the year crap with school ending. Again, I'm sorry, but even though its short it will be _**extremely**_suspenseful and have you on the edge-of-your-seat and have your heart racing! The next chapter will be longer, I swear! This is probably the shortest chapter that I've ever written for this fic! I digress, without further a due, here's chapter 8- The Demon Strikes! (Ooh… this has 'bad things' written all over it!XP)

* * *

_**.:Chapter 8- The Demon Strikes:.**_

Raven was fast asleep with Okamau's head on his lap. Shadow and Copper were both in deep slumbers, worn out from their fights with the Red. Unknown to them, the Red was standing right out on the ledge that led into the cave…

Ambient shook his head and snorted quietly, trying to shake off some of the cold rain that had collected on his crest. He wasn't after Raven, well, not at the moment, unless he could get to him without alerting the other Organoids. Right now he just wanted some of the Magnite that the gold Organoid had found. His leg was starting to pain him, and if he was going to hunt for Orkari like he had promised him, his leg needed to get healed up.

Growling quietly, he slowly stepped through the thin curtain of water that covered the entrance of the cave, caused by the sudden rain. It was very quiet inside, and that just made Ambient more nervous. He really wasn't in the condition to fight, and he really didn't want to if the two had been eating Magnite.

The Magnite was too irresistible for him to ignore, even though he was in danger with the two Organoids somewhere. _'Wait… where are they?'_Ambient thought, looking around the dark room. Their absence made him even more nervous. Hurrying, he quickly swallowed a few chunks of the mineral, wanting to get out of there and back to Orkari as fast as he could.

A quiet noise off to his left made him freeze; fearing that one of them had seen him. He slowly turned to look at where the sound had come from. What he saw made his circuits race with fear-

There was a hatchling in there… staring right _at_ him.

He didn't move, noticing that the hatchling was right next to Raven, and he didn't want it to wake him up. It stared at him, unmoving and silent. Ambient did the same, afraid any movement might frighten it into making some sort of noise. Risking frightening the hatchling, he shifted his weight and took a step back, then another, and another, never taking his eyes off the chick.

Suddenly, the hatchling mewed and butted Raven's hand. _'Helkat!'_Ambient cursed in his head, seeing Raven move slightly. He quickly backed up a few more feet before the hatchling tried to wake Raven up again. To Ambient's horror, Raven started to wake up…

… And he was in plain sight…

* * *

Raven was awoken from his sleep by a loud cry and a sharp nudge from Okamau. He ignored her at first, but when she mewed louder and butted him harder he knew something had to be wrong. He opened his eyes and looked down at the shaking hatchling that was now in his lap.

"What girl?" he whispered to the shuddering chick as he stroked her back. She looked up at him, squeaking as she butted his wrist and looked out into the main chamber. "What is it?" he said quietly as he followed her gaze out into the front chamber. What he saw made his heart skip a beat, for standing barely ten feet away from him was the Red…

… And it was staring right _at_ him.

He froze, for he was too scared to even shout for Shadow. The crimson Organoid just stared at him, unmoving except for the agitated flicking of its spined tail-tip. Raven didn't know what to do, he knew that if he moved it might provoke an attack, and making any kind of noise might do the same. There was a tense silence between the two for what seemed like an eternity, and a staring contest seemed to go on between them.

A loud cry from Okamau broke the silence as she curled up and buried her head in Raven's arm. Raven instinctively looked down at the whimpering hatchling, momentarily forgetting about the Red. Realizing what he had just done, he quickly looked up at the Red…

… But it was gone…

* * *

Raven was distracted, and Ambient took his chance to duck out of sight. He hugged the floor tightly, trying to stay hidden in the shadows so that Raven wouldn't be able to see him. He heard Raven moving inside and the quiet squeaks of the hatchling, but nothing that indicated that the two Organoids were awake. He thought he heard a growl, and he froze. Holding his breath, he waited to see if he could hear any more. After nearly a minute of no noise, he figured that maybe one of them may have just growled in their sleep.

He was still worried that Raven might try to wake one of them up, or that the hatchling might wake both of them. Starting to see spots, he realized he was still holding his breath. Feeling lightheaded, he exhaled slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. But in the silence of the cavern, his quiet breath sounded like a loud growl.

'_Helkat! He had to hear that!'_ he cursed mentally, hearing the shuffling inside stop. Ambient flicked his tail, flexing the dangerously sharp spines on the tip nervously like an angry cat as he watched a shadow appear in the chamber's entrance…

* * *

Raven's heart jumped when he realized the Red wasn't in his sight anymore. He knew that it probably wasn't gone, but was hidden somewhere in the cave. Okamau was still curled in his lap and mewing loudly, obviously shaken by the Red's presence. _'I need to get up and see where that Organoid went, but I need to move her first…'_he thought, looking at the whimpering hatchling.

"Here girl, let me up…" he said quietly, carefully trying to move her. Okamau squeaked in protest, but reluctantly jumped down. Raven got to his feet, careful of his broken ribs, and looked out into the front chamber. Still unable to see any sign of the Red, he took a step forward, trying to get a better look.

Just as he was going to take another step, he felt something tug on the cuff of his pant leg. He turned around, trying to figure out what he was caught on. He wasn't caught on anything, but what had a hold a hold on him was just as stubborn. Okamau had her little jaws clamped on the hem of his pant leg and was tugging at it with her eyes closed, like she didn't want him to go. Raven looked at her for a moment, before he leaned down and gently stroked her head.

"Don't worry girl, I'll be fine, I just want to go see where that Organoid went, okay?" Raven whispered to the hatchling as he continued to stroke her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him with an almost pleading look. Sighing in defeat, she opened her jaws and lowered her head, whining loudly. "I'll only be a few minutes, I promise…" he reassured her quietly, patting her head softly as he got to his feet and started towards the opening.

Moving as quietly as he could, he walked slowly past Shadow and Copper, towards the outer chamber. A loud growl outside made him freeze. _'No I'm sure he's still in the cave… great…'_he thought as the growl faded. He was only a few feet away from the entrance, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to see the Red if it was hidden on either side of the entrance. Being as quiet as one with injuries as bad as his possibly could, he stepped out into the main chamber and looked to his right. He didn't see anything, even deeper down in the cave.

A low growl to his left made him turn to his left. He caught only a glimpse of the crouched crimson Organoid before it pounced on him. He cried out in surprise and pain as he hit the ground hard and as the Organoid pinned him down on his side. His vision blurred from the force of the fall, and he began to feel dizzy. The Organoid growled loudly, but he couldn't see where its head was, for the pain had clouded his vision.

His weak cry for help was drowned out by the red Organoid's loud hiss as it leaned down close to him. He could feel its hot breath on his arm, and even through the haze of pain he knew-

Shadow and Copper couldn't save him now...

_**.:End of Chapter 8:.**_

* * *

**AN**- I guess Ambient changed his mind about not going after Raven, huh?XP I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, I have finals in school starting Thursday (tomorrow) and last 'til Monday. That and that my birthday is tomorrow, the 29th!! Squee!! I'm gonna be 15!! Lol. Anyway, the next chapter will be up, hopefully, soon. I promise I will _try_ to make the next chapter longer, but I can't guarantee it will be one of my famous 7-pagers! I'll try though! I gotta go, I have my new _Red_ and _Crossfade _CDs to listen to! Until next chapter!

_**Ibeyla :P**_


	9. An Unlikely Guardian

**AN**- The seemingly safe atmosphere from a few chappies ago deteriorated last chapter. Big time. Gettin pinned down by an Organoid Helkat-bent on revenge defiantly isn't a good thing! Especially when you're as injured as Raven is and when your only hope is two Organoids that currently are in recovery sleep (when an Organoid gets injured, it can enter a deep trance-like state that accelerates the healing process. In this state, however, the Organoid is pretty much dead to the world, meaning it can't hear, smell or feel anything. Once an Organoid enters this state, they _**must**_ remain in that state until its wounds are healed. If it disrupts the process by waking up, the wounds might not heal properly and it will be completely exhausted, for the healing process takes a lot of energy. If it is woken and must fight, it won't be able to, for its energy will be very low. If an Organoid lets the process run its course, by the time it wakes up its energy will be almost completely restored.). Basically, Raven's as good as dead, even if Shadow or Copper wakes up they won't be able to save him. Even if Raven gets away he may have problems with Okamau. Hatchlings are susceptible to their predatory instincts, so she might attack Raven if she sees blood. Uh-oh, he's in trouble! Okamau's part starts with events from last chapter. Without further delay, chapter 9- An Unlikely Guardian! (kinda raises your hopes for Raven, don't it?XD)

* * *

_**.:Chapter 9- An Unlikely Guardian:.**_

Raven cried out in pain as the crimson Organoid's claws pressed into his side, piercing the tough armor that covered his stomach and sides. The Organoid's weight was pushing him into the hard rock floor, and his already broken ribs screamed pain. Every time he tried moving, the Organoid would dig its claws in deeper and push him harder into the rough stone. He wasn't able to scream, the Organoid's weight made breathing extremely difficult and painful, and he knew that if he did the Organoid on top of him would surely kill him. He couldn't even try to push the Organoid away, for its clawed hands on his left arm and shoulder prevented him from moving, and his right arm was pinned underneath him, further paining his broken ribs.

The Organoid hissed lowly, digging its talons even further in his side. Raven groaned, half-closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. The Organoid made a strange noise that sounded almost like it was _laughing_ at his pain. _'Why doesn't it finish me off? Why is it making me suffer?'_ Raven thought as the Organoid's claws tightened on his arm. He could hear its spined tail sliding against the ground, and he wondered how long it would be before it would whip around and tear him open. The Organoid growled and sharply nosed his already wounded shoulder; its jaws mere inches from his face. It hissed evilly, a twisted smile creeping across its face, exposing its teeth. The Organoid's jaws opened widely, the lightning glinting off its sharp silver fangs. A snarl escaped the Organoid's throat, mingling with the crashing thunder. Raven closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable…

But the bite never came.

Raven opened his eyes slightly when he didn't feel the Red's jaws on his throat. He looked up at the crimson Organoid, confused on why the Organoid hadn't finished him off. The Organoid had lifted its head away and was looking in the chamber he had just come from. The Red's eyes were wide, and it was frozen, as if it was scared of something. That's when Raven heard the loud, piercing cries coming from inside the chamber. It didn't sound anything like the deep-throated growls of Shadow and Copper; honestly, Raven had no idea what the noise could be. Whatever it was seemed to unnerve the Red, enough that it shifted its weight off of him.

Then the Organoid did something Raven never expected- it slowly retracted its claws, pulling them out of his side. Raven groaned weakly as the crimson Organoid's claws were pulled from him, and the sudden pain made him dizzy. _'Why is it releasing me?'_ Raven thought, watching the red Organoid slowly take a step back and stand fully erect. Another loud cry hastened the Red's back steps. The red Organoid turned its gaze from the chamber to Raven, its eyes narrowing until they were merely glowing emerald slits in the darkness of the cavern.

Suddenly, the crimson Organoid reared up and roared loudly, a bright flash of lightning turning its red armor silver and black, giving it an unearthly, skeletal appearance. Its roar trailed into the thunder, turning from a loud bellow into an otherworldly scream. Then everything went black as the lightning died and the thunder faded to a rumbling whimper. When the next bolt hit, the Organoid was gone.

Raven groaned and closed his eyes, too weak to even try to call one of the Organoids. His entire body was racked with pain, and to make matters worse, the rain had chilled the already cool desert air, making hypothermia a very real possibility. A sudden wind blew into the cavern, ruffling his dark violet cloak and washing over him like cold water. He knew that in his condition infection or hypothermia would prove fatal, and the cold wind wasn't helping.

Suddenly, another loud cry pierced the silence, breaking his thoughts. He had no idea what was making the noise, but it didn't sound organic. Another, quieter cry came from the chamber behind him, only adding to his things to worry about. He lifted his head slightly, trying to look over his shoulder, but he was too weak and lowered it back down. The quiet clicking of claws on stone and a loud mew told him exactly what was making the noise-

"O-Oka… mau…"

* * *

Okamau squealed in fear as she watched the red Organoid pounce on Raven and pin him down. She cried to him, but a glare from the attacking Organoid silenced her. She shook with fear and curled up tightly into a ball, mewing loudly. Her quiet whimpers and submissive stance told the bigger Organoid that she was no threat, so it turned from her to its struggling prey.

'_Why'd he go? I tried to tell him it was out there, but he went anyway!' _Okamau thought, whining loudly. A loud hiss from the red Organoid made her mew loudly, but a cry from Raven made her freeze. _'It's hurting him!'_ She thought frantically, her head snapping up at his voice. Raven was in trouble, and she knew he needed help… fast.

Swallowing her fear, she got to her feet and ran over to Shadow. She squeaked loudly and butted his snout, trying to wake him from the deep trance-like recovery sleep. He didn't respond, even after she tried swiping his sensitive nose with her sharp tail-tip. Whining in frustration, Okamau ran over to Copper and jumped on his snout. She screeched and butted him between the eyes, flapping her wings to blow air on him. This time she got a response, but Copper only shook his head, making her tumble off. He fell asleep again immediately.

A cry of pain from Raven caught Okamau's attention immediately as she got to her feet. She ran to the chamber's entrance and froze in horror at the sight. The red Organoid's back talons were pushed deep into Raven's side, and its front claws were pressed into his arm and shoulder. But what worried her most was that its jaws were very close to his neck, and she couldn't see if it was biting him or not.

Suddenly, the Organoid snarled and Raven stopped moving, and Okamau feared that the Organoid had bitten him. Mustering all her bravery, she straightened her back, spread her wings… and growled as loud as she could. Instantly, the red Organoid froze and stopped snarling. Its head snapped up and it stared at her with wide eyes as she growled again, even louder than the first time. She had seen the Organoid had a wounded leg, and the thought of her possibly waking up Shadow and Copper probably worried it.

To Okamau's relief, she watched as the Organoid shifted its weight off of Raven and pulled it claws from him. He groaned weakly as it released him, which was a good sign, for it meant he was at least still alive. Looking back up at the retreating red Organoid, Okamau growled again, which caused it to hasten its steps. Suddenly, light from a lightning bolt illuminated the cavern with blinding light. The Organoid used the lightning and thunder as cover to escape, slipping silently through the curtain of water cascading over the cave's entrance.

Just to be sure, Okamau growled loudly again as a cold wind blew into the cavern through the hole in the water-curtain the fleeing Organoid had created when it ran out. A slight movement from Raven caught her eye, and she turned her attention back to him. She cooed quietly to see if Raven would respond. He lifted his head slightly, but laid it back down after a few seconds.

Growing worried by his lack of movement and sound, Okamau took a few steps towards him and mewed loudly, stopping to see if he reacted. His cloak moved slightly, but that was just the wind. She thought maybe he had lost consciousness until…

"O-Oka…mau…"

Okamau perked up and chirped at Raven's voice, wagging her tail like a puppy. Chittering happily as she bounded over to him, she stopped when she saw the blood that covered the floor. She bent down and looked at the strange red liquid, cocking her head as she tried to comprehend it. _'This was on Raven's arm and hand. What is it? Good? Bad?' _she questioned mentally, not knowing what the odd red stuff was.

Dismissing her thoughts, Okamau looked back up at Raven, who still hadn't moved. She quickly walked around to his front, but froze when she saw his bloodied side. _'Is the red stuff coming from the cuts?'_ she thought, cocking her head, _'Then the red stuff must be bad if it comes out of cuts.'_ A groan from Raven shook her from her thoughts. She turned and walked up next to his outstretched arm, chirping and cocking her head like a bird.

Raven's eyes were closed, and Okamau didn't like that. Cooing softly, she bent down and lightly butted his hand, looking up at him as she did. He groaned and opened his eyes slightly, blinking as he tried to clear his vision. Okamau squeaked happily when she saw Raven open his eyes, and leaned down and lightly rubbed her face against his fingers, cooing loudly.

"H-Hey, Oka… ma-mau…" he whispered hoarsely, smiling weakly as he scratched her under her chin. Okamau closed her eyes and purred loudly, her wings hanging at her side and her tail drooping. Raven laughed weakly at her comical appearance, but the effort of laughing pained his lungs and sides. He groaned, letting his hand fall back down to the stone floor as he closed his eyes.

Okamau immediately opened her eyes and stopped purring, looking at Raven with concern, chirping worriedly. Raven started shivering as another blast of cold air breached the curtain of water and spread throughout the cavern. Okamau saw him shivering, and cocked her head at the strange movement. _'Why is he shaking?'_ she thought, not understanding the human's odd shaking. Trying to comfort him, she crooned and nosed his wrist, but jumped back as soon as her nose touched his skin. _'Why is he so cold? He was warm a few minutes ago. Maybe that is why he is shaking?'_ she cocked her head as she thought.

Suddenly, Okamau had an idea. She chirped to Raven before she spread her wings and flew into the chamber. She landed next to where Raven had been only minutes before and hovered above the blanket. Still hovering, Okamau carefully gripped the thick blanket with her sharp claws and started to fly back to Raven with it. The blanket was very heavy, and Okamau was having a hard time pulling it. She beat her wings furiously, trying her hardest to move the heavy blanket. It was too heavy for her to pull, so she dropped it and landed. _'I can't stop…'_ she thought as she turned and looked into the main chamber, _'Raven needs this…'_

Gripping the blanket again, she tried dragging it. She managed to get it out into the main chamber, but she knew she wasn't done. She still had to get it _on_ Raven, which meant she had to lift it up. Sighing, she gripped the edge of the blanket and beat her little wings franticly to lift it up.

* * *

'_It's too cold…'_ Raven thought as another blast of wind filled the cavern with cold air. He started shivering as the chilled wind played with the edges of his torn cloak. Okamau cooed and lightly nosed his wrist, but jumped back with a squeak. He was too weak to open his eyes and see why she had jumped, so he just listened to her. He heard her chirp and spread her wings as she flew off somewhere.

'_Where's she going?'_ Raven thought as she flew off somewhere behind him. He heard her land and a quiet rustling as she tried to move something. The sound of her wings beating franticly and her stressed whines made it seem like she was trying to lift something. A quiet click of claws and an exhausted sigh signaled she landed, but again she squeaked and tried to move something. He heard her back out into the main chamber somewhere behind him, followed by the shuffling of what sounded like fabric.

Raven had no idea what that noise was, but he wasn't worried. He heard Okamau sigh and beat her wings again, groaning as if she was carrying a great weight on her little shoulders. Suddenly, he felt something warm get pulled over him. _'What?'_ he thought, opening his eyes slightly and looking up. Okamau was hovering over him, gently covering him in the blanket that Copper had given him.

He shut his eyes tightly and groaned weakly as the blanket touched his wounded side, sending hot pain through his body. Okamau crooned softly and draped the rest of the blanket over him, careful of his other wounds. With a loud whine, the small Organoid literally fell to the ground next to his hand, panting from exhaustion. Half-way opening his eyes, Raven reached shakily towards the hatchling and softly stroked her small, clawed hand.

Okamau's eyes flashed open and she squeaked happily, her free wing fluttering slightly. As soon as Raven stopped, she yawned and curled around his hand, loosely wrapping her tail around his wrist. She cooed and licked his hand as she laid her head down and sighed. Raven smirked weakly and closed his eyes, trying to save the little strength he had left. _'At least I won't have to worry about bleeding to death… the blanket should help stop the bleeding from the slashes…'_ he thought, noticing that he no longer felt blood trickling down his side from the punctures.

A few minutes later a fierce wind whipped around the cavern, causing Raven to shiver even though he had the thick blanket. _'Even the blanket isn't enough to keep me warm… I may still get hypothermia…'_ he thought, feeling water droplets from the pounding ran settle on him. Okamau must have sensed his distress, for she lifted her head and chirped. Uncurling her tail from around his wrist, Okamau stood up and folded her wings. She walked over beside Raven and leaned down.

Gently, she wormed her way under Raven's arm and pressed her warm metal body against him. Instantly, Raven stopped shivering and opened his eyes slightly, looking at the little hatchling. _'She's trying to keep me warm…'_ he thought, no longer feeling cold.

"Th-Thank… you…" Raven said weakly as he closed his eyes. Okamau purred softly and closed her eyes as well. Raven was asleep within minutes, too weak from his injuries to stay awake. Okamau didn't sleep, she was afraid that if she did the red Organoid would come back. She waited for Shadow and Copper to wake up, but in their state that could take hours… or days…

_**.:End of Chapter 9:.**_

* * *

**AN**- Aw… Okamau is such a sweetheart, isn't she?XD Man… Shadow and Copper could sleep through the end of the world, couldn't they?XD This was probably the best chapter I've written for this fic in my opinion, do you guys agree? You can tell I was stressed when I wrote this, for I do my best under stress. I wrote most of this at night while I was waiting for the tornado warnings around me to expire. I wrote 'til about 4:30 in the morning, but I got a lot done and that's when I wrote most of the really suspenseful and emotional parts then. Anyway, it may be a little while until I update, the laptop I'm using to type my fics on is overworked and stressed out. It could be a week before the next chappie, but I assure you, I _**will not**_ abandon this fic, I love to write it and wouldn't stop for the world! Please review and remember, **all flamers will be fed to my Organoids!!** Until next chapter.

_**Ibeyla :P**_


	10. The Shadow of Death

**AN**- Hello, Ibeyla here! I'm really proud of this fic right now. I've had 370+ hits and 33 reviews!! For a Zoids fic of only 10 chapters, that's not half-bad.XP My Kingdom Hearts fic that I once thought of abandoning due to poor response, _**Heart of a Wyvern**_, has managed 9 reviews and 70+ hits. I have 3 reviews for _**Rebirthing**_and almost reached 40 hits. My other Zoids fic, _**The Distant Stars**_, had 5 reviews and almost hit 25 hits. My poor Ecco the Dolphin fic, _**Search for the Starred Ones**_, has 1 lonely review and almost reached 10 hits. Poor lonely thing.XD Lol. Well, things have gone from bad to worse for poor Raven. I was going to have a second villain alongside Ambient, but I got worried because a similar character named Zachaule appears in one of Blade Liger Knight's fics. I didn't want to steal her thunder, even though I had developed this character from an evil apparition that came to me in a dream, long before I had even heard of . Still, I just don't want to get her upset. I sent her a PM asking for her permission to add my character, but I haven't heard back from her. So until I get an official yes or no, my character will appear. Knight, if you're reading this, please know I'm not stealing this from you, this character came from a real-life experience and an apparition from a fever-induced dream a few years ago when I feel ill from pneumonia. The figure and dream terrified me, and it makes me feel better when I write about them. I'm really sorry if he's similar to Zachaule, but I wanted to keep him as close as possible to the dream. I digress, thanks to all the readers who have stuck with this fic so far!! I've reached a milestone, my first double-digit fic!!XD I think I'm doin okay for a newb who's only been here for less than 2 months, am I right?XD Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Without further delay, chapter 10- The Shadow of Death! (gives ya a really bad feelin, don't it?XD)

* * *

_**.:Chapter 10- The Shadow of Death:.**_

Ambient looked out over the darkened canyon as the rain continued to pour down, a dark shadow beside him.

"So… you failed to retrieve the Magnite or capture Raven, correct?" the shadow hissed, its red-orange eyes narrowing as it continued to stare into the depths of the canyon.

"Yes… but Raven won't be going anywhere for awhile… I made _sure_of that." Ambient said back, his spined tail twitching at the thought of his near-kill.

"I will pay them a visit soon, but not now. I refuse to kill such a weak creature. My prey should give me a challenge… and in Raven's current state a mouse would give me a greater challenge!" the shadowy creature laughed cruelly, its voice filled with malice. Its spine-tipped tail flicked in anticipation, and its sharp, blade-like silver claws tightened, digging deep cuts into the stone below. Its coal-black bird-like wings twitched impatiently as his laugh faded.

"Yes Leiden…" Ambient said, joining in with his laugh, "… you may have the pleasure of killing him, for I have had the honor of hunting him down and enacting my revenge, just let Orkari have him before you finish him off." Ambient said proudly, smirking at his earlier hunt, "May I ask why you are so intent on killing him, Leiden?"

"Yes Ambient, you may…" Leiden said, lifting his head slightly, "… like you, Raven's parents found me as well. Unlike you, who was fortunate enough to be in stasis, I was fully awake. The horrific tests were nothing compared to yours, and since you had the honor of dispatching those retched scientists, I believe I should have the pleasure of killing their child; after all I've been through…" he told his tale, curling his lip slightly at the mention of Raven's parents, exposing his glittering, coppery fangs.

"Well… we are two of a kind, and now the odds are in our favor…" Ambient said evilly, a grim expression on his face. Leiden looked up at the draconic Organoid before turning his piercing gaze back towards the twin crescent moons. At the thought of his approaching hunt, a twisted grin crept across his muzzle, exposing his saber-like golden fangs. Then he laughed a demented laugh that could chill the blood of even the most hardened soldier.

* * *

Shadow groaned loudly as he slowly became aware of a stinging sensation on his nose. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking them several times, trying to clear the haze that recovery sleep causes. As his vision cleared, he recognized Okamau, who was jumping up and down and squealing loudly.

"Okamau… go away and let me sleep…" he grumbled, closing his eyes and trying to go back to sleep. Okamau screeched and swiped his nose, causing his head to snap back and his eyes to flash open. He was about to tell the hatchling straight, when he saw she was covered in blood. He looked at the hatchling strangely for a second, then it hit him. He whipped around to where Raven had been-

And he wasn't there.

"Raven!!" Shadow shouted as he shakily got to his feet, his legs wobbly from the recovery sleep. Okamau squeaked and ran out into the main chamber, leaving bloody footprints. Shadow knew something must be horribly wrong, and rushed out into the front chamber as fast as his weak legs would allow. What he saw made his circuits run cold. Raven was collapsed on the ground, the blanket Copper had given him covering him up. Okamau was beside him, looking at Shadow sadly before she ran to Raven's front.

"Wh-What happened?!" Shadow gasped, still in shock. Okamau didn't respond, she was too preoccupied with Raven. She cooed and nudged his arm softly, but Raven didn't react. Shadow ran over by Okamau and leaned down to him, his shock now transformed into pure terror and fear. Raven's eyes were closed and his breathing almost nonexistent.

_/Raven…/_ Shadow said mentally, _/Raven wake up…/_ he carefully nudged his arm. He didn't respond, and that worried Shadow even more. He whined and gently nosed his shoulder, now fearing he was dead. A groan from him told him he was alive, but unconscious and in a lot of pain.

Remembering the blood that covered Okamau, he turned and looked him over, trying to find the wound. He froze when he saw the blood-soaked area on the blanket over Raven's side. _'Oh no…'_ he thought, seeing the rest of the blood that covered the floor.

Okamau rubbed against his leg, whining loudly. Shadow looked at her, and she looked up at him and made a strange, gasping noise. He looked at her strangely, not understanding what she was doing. Her mouth looked like it was trying to form words as she kept making the gasping noise.

"R-Red…" she rasped, her voice hoarse from not ever being used to speak.

"What? What did you just say?" Shadow said quietly, looking at the blood covered hatchling in disbelief.

"Red… hurt… Rrr-Raven… h-elp… pwease…" she squeaked, struggling to form the words. Shadow stared at her, not believing she had actually spoken. It took him a moment before he actually realized what she was doing…

She was asking him to help Raven.

"I don't know how Okamau, but Copper does." He told her, "Go wake him up and get him out here!" She flew into the chamber with an understanding nod. Squeaking loudly, she landed in front of Copper's nose. She swiped his nose with her sharp little claws and screeched loudly at him. Copper's eyes flickered open and he blinked them a few times before he stared at her.

"Go away Oka and let me sleep…" he muttered as he started to close his eyes and lower his head.

"Raven… help… need!" She squeaked, turning and running into the front chamber. Copper didn't move, too shocked to even breathe.

"Copper get out here NOW!!" Shadow's shout shook him from his daze. He realized Raven wasn't in the chamber anymore and that Okamau's footsteps were made from blood. He jumped to his feet and ran out into the main chamber and froze at the sight. Blood covered the floor around Raven's collapsed form. Raven was covered in the blanket he had given him, although now it was soaked in blood in places. Shadow was trying to wake him up, and Okamau was perched on his shoulder.

"What the Helkat happened here?!" Copper shouted, completely clueless.

"Okamau said the red Organoid came back and attacked him. He's really badly hurt and he's not responding, I think he's unconscious. He feels cold, he may also have hypothermia." Shadow informed him, not looking up from Raven.

"He came back? Where'd he go?" Copper asked.

"I don't know, Okamau can't say much more than a few words at a time." Shadow replied, still not looking up from the injured boy collapsed on the floor.

"Rrraven! Wake up, Rrraven!" Okamau chirped, flapping her wings as she leaned down. Unknown to her Raven, even if he was conscious, wouldn't have been able to understand her.

"Here, let me get a look at his wounds…" Copper said, walking over beside Shadow. Carefully, he pulled off the heavy blanket, exposing his torn side.

"For the sake of Eve!!" Shadow cursed loudly upon seeing the wound. Okamau cocked her head and looked at him funny, and then he realized what he had said. "Err… pardon my Zoidian." He said quietly, laughing nervously.

"Thank Eve that Oka covered him in the blanket, otherwise he would of bled to death in a matter of minutes. For some reason the wound is clean and has already started to heal." Copper said in astonishment, seeing how his wound had already begun to scab over.

"He's strong for a human… but he still might have hypothermia." Shadow said, looking up at Copper.

"I don't think he does…" Copper said matter-of-factly, "… he's not shivering and his wounds are light colored, which all indicate he doesn't have hypothermia."

"Okay… what should we do?" Shadow asked, "Should we move him or something?"

"No, if we move him in his state he might go into shock, and he could die. The most we can do now is wake him up." Copper said sternly.

"He won't wake up, Oka and I have tried." Shadow said.

"Then let him rest, it will help him get his energy back. Also he will heal faster during sleep, like when we enter recovery sleep. We'll still need to keep a close eye on him." Copper said, carefully covering Raven back up in the blanket after nudging Okamau off of the boy's shoulder.

"Oka and I will stay out here and watch him; could you go out on the ledge and stand guard?" Shadow asked the gold-clad Organoid.

"Sure, just come get me if he wakes up or his condition worsens." Copper shouted to the dark Organoid as he walked through the curtain of falling water onto the ledge. He yawned and curled up, facing down the cavern. It was going to be a long night, he knew it, but at least he knew Raven was stable and breathing.

'_I'm not sure I'll be able to save him if he gets another injury like that… if his condition gets any worse I may have to take him to the abandoned house where I got the supplies from… there's enough equipment there to start a hospital…' _he thought, looking towards a distant peak, partly obscured by the clouds. He yawned and lowered his head, lightly tapping the tip of his tail against the stone like a sleepy cat. And like a sleep cat, his eyes closed and he was soon snoring quietly.

* * *

Leiden stood alone on the ledge, looking at the twinkling stars with piercing red-orange eyes. His dark grey and silver cat-like body seemed to glow in the moonlight, giving him an otherworldly appearance. The coppery fangs that were visible shined a golden color in the eerie light, and his knife-like claws glinted like silver blades. The black spines that adorned his shoulders, back and hip gave the large metal cat a demonic appearance.

He looked, for all the world, like a metal panther from heck. His large paws could easily wrap around a basketball, and the five large claws that adorned each one were strong and sharp enough to cut through a plate of steel. His golden teeth were sharper than a Liger's, and his powerful jaws were more than capable of driving them deep into anything unfortunate enough to get captured by him. His raven-like wings were darker than the midnight sky, and were powerful enough to propel the heavy cat at amazing speeds in flight.

Leiden was abnormally large for an Organoid; nearly ten feet long and four-and-a-half feet high at the shoulder. He was partner-less, even though the Zoidians had created him in a laboratory, like the wolf-like Organoids of the sunken city of the Zoidians. With his claws, teeth, spines and strength he could easily rip apart any human that was foolish enough to face him. He had the ferocity and ruthlessness to match his frightening appearance, and his determined and bloodthirsty nature meant that anything unfortunate enough to get caught beneath his claws had no hope of escape.

"Well…" Leiden grumbled, noticing the rain was letting up, "… it appears that the storm is clearing up…" he got to his feet and shook the rain from his metal body. "I think I will go and bring that human back for Orkari to feed on, as Ambient requested." He said evilly to no one in particular as he spread his coal-black wings. Without making a sound, he jumped from the ledge and soared down the cavern, flying towards where Raven and the three Organoids were hiding…

* * *

Copper heard what sounded like the beating of wings somewhere down the canyon. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to find the sound's source. Suddenly, he heard a loud growl above him and the flap of a pair of wings. Before he could even blink something crashed into him, pinning him to the ground. He growled and snarled, trying to get free of his unknown assailant.

"Stop squirming, Organoid…" A voice hissed, "… or I'll kill you right now." Copper wisely stopped his struggling, but the weight on his back didn't lessen. His chest threatened to cave in, and his breathing was ragged. With a last whimper, he lost consciousness.

"Pathetic excuse for an Organoid…" Leiden hissed in disgust as he stepped off the unmoving Organoid and looking into the cavern.

"Ready or not…" he hissed evilly, "… here I come…"

* * *

Shadow heard a commotion out on the ledge. Just as he was going to call out to Copper, a dark figure stepped through the silvery curtain of rainfall that obscured the entrance. Its red-orange eyes glowed with hate, and its long tail flicked, the long spines on the tip bristling.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Shadow roared at the figure, tensing for a fight.

"I am Leiden, and I am here to retrieve Raven…" the cat-like Organoid answered, its eyes narrowing into dangerous-looking glowing slits. "Give him to me or I will be forced to kill you."

"Why are you after him? What did he do to you?! He's only a child!" Shadow growled, sizing up his opponent.

"The Same reason Ambient was- revenge…" Leiden growled back, stamping his paw down for added emphasis on 'revenge'.

"But Raven didn't do those things to you! His parents did! Now leave this place or Copper and I will-"

"Will what? Fight me?" Leiden said sarcastically, lifting his head and laughing evilly, "Do you really think you can win against me, while your friend is unconscious and you can barely stand?" Shadow stared at him at the mention of Copper.

"What did you do to him?!" he roared, whipping his tail in anger.

"Don't worry he'll live…" Leiden said with an evil smirk, "… but I can't say the same for you if you don't hand Raven over to me…"

"Never Leiden! I won't let you kill him!!" Shadow roared, crouching down, ready to pounce at the slightest movement.

"Who said I was going to kill him?" Leiden replied with a wicked smile, "I only said I was here to retrieve him, not kill him. But if you insist…" he lifted his paw and looked at his extended razor blade-like claws with idle interest.

Shadow snapped. With an enraged snarl, he jumped at the metal feline, fully intending to rip-out the smirking demon-s throat. Leiden anticipated such a move, and easily dodged. Shadow growled and wheeled around, swinging his tail towards the Organoid's throat. The metallic feline evaded with ease, only fueling Shadow's rage. He roared and lashed out again and again, but Leiden avoided every blow with ease. He smirked and only moved when dodging one of Shadow's attacks, as if he was taunting the great black dragon into making a mistake.

Well… that was _exactly_what he was doing, and it was working like a charm. Shadow's fury and rage had blinded his reason, and he was unaware that he was playing right into Leiden's hands. He continued to lash out at the large Organoid, ignoring the squeaks of warning from Okamau.

Suddenly, Leiden struck. With a deft swat of his paw, he knocked Shadow into the wall with so much force he was knocked out.

Now nothing could stop him from capturing Raven.

Growling quietly, he casually walked towards the unconscious boy, his eyes glowing with malice. As he neared him, a shadow shot from one of the branching chambers and dove at him. Snorting in annoyance, he swatted the small shadow into the wall. The shadow turned out to be a blood-covered hatchling. _'Maybe they saved Raven because they needed something to feed that hatchling? Maybe not…'_he thought, not really caring that he had just smashed a hatchling into a wall with enough force to kill it.

Turning from the silent and unmoving hatchling, he closed the distance between he and Raven. With a fast swipe of his sharp claws, he ripped the blanket off of the young human and tossed it effortlessly away. He leaned down and sniffed the human's wounded side, snorting as he lifted away. Lifting his paw and extending his claws, he growled lowly and brought it down with incredible force.

Just as his paw was about to connect with Raven's side, the hatchling flew in front of his face and scratched his sensitive nose. Snorting, he snarled in rage and redirected his paw to strike the hatchling. He swiped it and pinned it to the stone floor, his paw remaining on its little body. It squealed and squirmed under his paw, both in pain and desperation to escape.

"Pathetic creature…" Leiden hissed, "… you just made the gravest and last decision of your worthless life…" He pressed the defenseless hatchling into the stone, intending to crush the very life from it. It squealed in pain and bit at his claws in a vain attempt to escape but it was useless. Leiden laughed cruelly, putting more weight on the hatchling.

Suddenly something rammed into his side with a snarl of rage and pain. He grunted as he was knocked a few feet away, and looked up at his attacker. He sneered at his aggressor, for it was non-other than the gold Organoid. By ramming his side the Organoid had managed to save the hatchling, but had also managed to impale his side and neck on the sharp spines that covered his shoulder and back. Whining in pain, he carefully picked up the now unmoving hatchling and placed it off to the side before turning to face him.

"How… how dare you attack… a defenseless hatchling…" he groaned through the pain, his whole body shaking and on the verge of collapse. Leiden didn't waste any time with the wounded Organoid. With a snarl, Leiden lunged and thrust the golden Organoid against the wall, the points of his claws pressed against his throat. The Organoid whined loudly, but didn't struggle.

Smirking evilly, Leiden slowly pushed his claws into the Organoid's unprotected throat, causing him to scream in pain. His paw lingered for a moment before he removed it, letting the Organoid collapse to the ground with a loud _thud_.

Leiden cast an emotionless glance at the silent hatchling before he turned back to Raven. He walked behind him and stared at him for a moment with an unfeeling glare. Growling lowly, he leaned down with jaws wide. His jaws snapped shut on the collar of Raven's cloak, and with a snort he lifted him up. He turned and walked towards the entrance with Raven hanging lifeless in his jaws. With a grim laugh he dropped from the ledge with wings half-spread…

… and he was gone…

_**.:End of Chapter 10:.**_

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**AN**- And you thought that last chapter was bad?XD Leiden is the most evil thing I have ever created, and let me tell you, he terrifies even me!!XD Oh, I'm planning on starting a new fic like randomcat23's _**Zoid Drabbles**_, but its more like a collection of short one-shots based on random words. I asked her for permission, but since I'm at my dad's and away from the home computer, I can't read her reply. If she says yes than I'll post the first one-shot in a few days. Please send in one random word in a review for any of my fics so I can have a few to work with. Anyway, this is the longest chapter I've ever written for this fic, and the darkest. Please leave a review telling me what you guys think!!XD Until next chapter!!

_**Ibeyla :P**_

**P.S- Anonymous reviews read this!! If you leave a review, I will leave a response to it in my profile under the ****"Comments to Anonymous Reviewers"**** section. I treat anonymous reviews the same as a signed review, because once-upon-a-time **_**I**_ **was an anonymous reviewer, so I know how much you guys like feedback!!XD I love to hear from you guys!! Please review!!XD**


	11. Orkari's Discovery

**AN**- Hello, Ibeyla here!! Guys, I am so proud of this fic right now. I've almost hit the half-way mark of my goal of 100 reviews with this fic, and I've had **400+ hits!!** Wow… I think that's pretty good considering I've been here for less than 2 months now!!XD Lol. So, does Leiden scare the pants off of anyone reading? Come on, be honest, he's absolutely terrifying isn't he?! He scares me witless, and I made him!!XD Lol. Anyway, my new Zoids drabble/one-shot collection, _**Of Zoids and Organoids**_, is a hit in Zoids standards!! Lol. I love working on that fic, it's what I do when I'm not working on _**The Dark Savior**_. I'm not bipolar or anything like that, but can't you feel like two completely different writing styles for those two fics? I mean one is cute and carefree, and the other is dark and serious. Wow… Lol. Anyway, things have basically gone from worse to unimaginably bad for poor Raven. And with Shadow and Copper totaled and Okamau's life uncertain, who's gonna save him? Well, you'll just have to find out, now won't you?XD I'm really sorry, but this will be the shortest chapter I've eer written for this fic. I have 2 new fics I've started, and I've been uber busy lately. Again, I'm really sorry for the shortness, but I'll make it up to you next chapter and in the first chapter of my new fic. Well, I won't hold you any longer. Without further a delay, chapter 11- Orkari's discovery!

* * *

_**.:Chapter 11- Orkari's Discovery:.**_

Leiden landed silently on the ledge of Ambient's cave, shaking the cold rain from his raven-like wings. The rain had started up again as he flew back, but he scarcely cared. He folded his shadowy wings and blinked his red-orange eyes, shaking to rid his metal body of the clinging rain.

With a quiet growl, he dropped Raven to the hard ground, not really caring if it caused the human pain. Leiden snorted and glared at the human, contorting his face in a snarl, exposing his fangs. He retracted his claws, wanting to keep them as sharp as possible for… future use. With his claws safely retracted, he pawed the human's side, trying to get a reaction from him. When he got no response, he leaned down and sniffed his wounded side, as if smelling for death.

An almost silent groan from the young pilot told the metal cat he was still alive, but just barely. Sneering, he walked inside the dark cave, leaving Raven out in the cold rain. He didn't care in the slightest, and continued inside with a flick of his spined tail.

Leiden walked past Orkari's chamber and turned to look in Ambient's. Ambient was already asleep, curled up on his bed of leaves. Seeing him asleep reminded Leiden of how tired he was, and he yawned widely, showing all his long, sharp teeth. He glanced out at Raven to make sure he was still there before he walked back into Orkari's chamber. He also was curled up on his own bed, but he was moving around slightly, as one might in a light sleep. One eye opened up slightly, a yellow-orange slit in the darkness, before closing again with a sigh.

'_He's restless; from hunger no doubt... well he won't be hungry for much longer…'_ Leiden thought, smirking evilly. He turned and walked further down into the cave, turning into a large chamber. This was the chamber that Ambient had given him, and it, like the others, had a bed of leaves laid out for him to rest on. Although he could sleep on the hard ground with no ill effects, the comfort of a soft bed was preferred, if not needed.

Leiden yawned and curled up on the bed of leaves, wrapping his long tail around himself and stretching out his front paws. He looked, for all the world, like an overgrown housecat. Well... if house cats were made of metal and covered in spines. With a soft, almost purr-like sigh, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Orkari heard Leiden's familiar footsteps as he walked into the cave, going towards his adoptive father's chamber. Orkari was afraid of the large metal cat, because of his size and shear ferocity. He heard the Organoid stop outside of his chamber, so Orkari opened his eye slightly before he closed and tried to ignore him and get back to sleep.

He opened his eyes as soon as the frightening Organoid left and got to his feet, stretching his long body like a cat. Snorting loudly, he shook himself and wandered outside of his chamber, looking for anything to get into. He looked down towards Ambient's chamber for a moment before he started down towards it.

Being very quiet, he looked in at Ambient, who was sprawled out on his bed and snoring loudly. Orkari couldn't help but laugh at the crimson Organoid as he walked further down into the cave. He peaked in at Leiden, who also was asleep. Orkari chuckled slightly at the great metal cat's position, for he _looked_ completely harmless. Leiden didn't look as vicious, in fact he seemed almost cute, like a kitten, in his sleep.

'_He looks like an overgrown housecat...' _Orkari thought with a snicker as he walked back towards his own chamber. Suddenly, he thought he saw something move on the outside ledge through the silvery curtain of water. Curious as to what it might be, he chirped and walked towards the covering of water. Personally, he hated getting wet even worse than a cat, but his curiosity as to what was outside was just to powerful to ignore.

Jumping through the cold water as fast as he could, he shook the water from his spinney body with a snort of disgust. Orkari looked around the narrow ledge, and couldn't believe what he saw- a human. He squeaked and jumped, memories of from his mother's death flooding back. Trembling, he slowly approached the unmoving human, watching for even the slightest movement. He saw the deep wounds on his side, and he could tell they were from Ambient's claws.

'_Ambient said he would go hunting for me... is this what he meant?'_ Orkari questioned mentally at the thought of Ambient. He cocked his head at the silent and motionless young human, curious as to why he was here and why Ambient had wounded him.

His stomach hurt from hunger, and he whined loudly. To his surprise, the wounded human opened his eyes slightly, and looked at him strangely. Orkari screeched and backed away from the human as he shakily got to his feet. Now completely terrified, Orkari squeaked and ran back inside to his chamber, curling up and mewing loudly.

Now he just hoped Ambient or Leiden heard his cries, and that they would come and chase away or kill the human before he hurt him. He heard the human walk inside and stop by his chamber, and that just scared him more. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him continue further into the cave, towards where Ambient and Leiden were sleeping. A loud roar told him that one of them had been awakened, and he hoped that maybe one of them had caught him…

His hopes were unknowingly to him realized…

* * *

**AN (possible new fic! Please read!!)**- (winces) I'm so sorry its so short!! I've been uber busy with vacation planning and other fics, and I neglected this chapter horribly. I'm really sorry, but I'll make it up to you in the next chapter and with my new fic. I still need a name for it. It will be AU and be about Shadow's taming. I had a dream about it after I watched my Zoids DVD, but in my dream things went wrong. Very wrong. I don't know if anyone else has seen that scene in the episode, "The Distant Stars", but I always thought Shadow was holding back. He coulda easily taken Raven, but didn't. Well, in my dream, things went quickly in Shadow's favor, as you will see when I get chapter 1 typed and posted. But that will only happen if I can settle on a title. I was thinking maybe _**Broken**_, like my drabble, but I'm not sure. Please help me decide on a title! Please send in a title idea!! I need help if I'm gonna get it posted!! Well, I believe I've ranted enough for one chappie. Again, I feel awful about how short this, but I'll make it up to you. I'm sorry if I disappointed anybody, that seems to be the only thing I can do right… T.T

_**SR37**_


	12. No Escape

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here! Yes… the long-awaited chapter 12! Lol. I couldn't leave you with that cliffhanger, no could I? Lol. This will be my longest chappie ever, almost as long as the whole of **_Rebirthing_**! Well now, Leiden can talk without mind-speech, by speaking Zoidian. I'm going to use a foreign language, and cookies to whoever can figure out which. Leiden is based on a dream and a creature that approached my friend and me when we were exploring the woods behind our house. Things are going to go even further downhill in this chappie, and y'all know what that means. Lol. I'll try to make this chapter long, but all the recent typing has screwed-up my wrist. I'll try, but no guarantees it'll be as long as chapter 10. Okay, this will start out with events from the last chapter, and will be from Raven's POV at first. All right, without further a due, chapter 12- No Escape (makes your hopes for Raven drop, don't it?)

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_**.:Chapter 12- No Escape:.**_

Raven groaned as he was dropped on something rough and hard. He had no idea where he was, or what had dropped him, but he knew it wasn't Copper or Shadow. Whatever was standing over him wasn't friendly, he knew that much. He heard it growl and walk over to him, and that made him very nervous.

Suddenly, he felt something push sharply on his wounded side, causing him to groan. He opened his eyes just enough to see, and his blood ran cold at the sight-

There was another Organoid, glaring down at him.

'_Where the heck did this one come from?! And why does it look so familiar…'_ Raven thought, trying to hold in a gasp of surprise. The Organoid glared at him for a moment, before it turned away and walked off somewhere. _'Okay… where the heck am I?'_ Raven thought as he looked around. The falling rain obscured his surroundings, and soaked him to the bone.

He tried to at least get up, but his shaky arms wouldn't support him and he collapsed back down to the ground. It was very cold, and the rain and blowing wind wasn't helping in the slightest. Raven thought he heard a growl from somewhere behind him, but he dismissed it as the wind blowing through the canyon.

A strange shuffling behind him caught Raven's attention. It sounded like an Organoid moving around, but thankfully it didn't sound large. He heard it walk near him, and he closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. Whatever it was that was near him stopped moving, and he got the feeling it was staring at him.

Suddenly, the unknown Organoid whined loudly, causing Raven to open his eyes. He couldn't believe what he saw- there was another hatchling, and it was looking right _at_ him.

'_Oh great… another one!'_ Raven thought, watching the hatchling carefully. The hatchling seemed scared of him, for it was shrieking and yelping. Gritting his teeth, Raven finally managed to get to his feet, but nearly fainted in doing so. The Organoid screeched and ran inside the cave that Raven was facing, disappearing into the black.

'_Wonder where he's off to in such a hurry…'_ Raven asked himself as he slowly followed the small blue Organoid inside the cave. He saw it run into a small chamber, and he looked in at it. The hatchling was curled up on a pile of what looked like leaves, and was mewing even louder than Okamau.

Raven turned away from the hatchling and looked down the deep cave. There were more chambers, and he was curious as to what might be in them. He walked past the first one, not seeing anything inside, and continued to the farthest one. He looked inside, and gasped-

The huge Organoid that had brought him here was right in there.

'_Helkat!!'_ Raven cursed in his head, thinking the Organoid had seen him. He held his breath and closed his eyes, waiting to feel the Organoid's teeth and claws. A few seconds passed in silence, and Raven slowly opened his eyes. _'It's asleep…'_ Raven thought, sighing in relief.

'_I better get outta here before it wakes up…'_ Raven decided, slowly backing away from the sleeping Organoid and back down the cave. After he felt he was far enough away, he breathed a sigh of relief. _'Now… how do I get out of here?'_ Raven asked himself, looking around the darkened cave, trying to find a way out.

Raven walked towards where he had entered, but he heard a long, low growl coming from one of the chambers. He froze instantly, and the growl turned into a loud roar. Suddenly, he heard something behind him. He turned as fast as his injuries would allow, but he couldn't see anything. _'Where did that come from?'_ he thought, narrowing his eyes as he searched for the sound's source. With his back turned, he didn't see the shadow of a large Organoid appear, and then vanish into a small chamber…

'_I must've imagined it…'_ Raven thought, turning back around. Now he wanted to get out as quick as he could, and he started to walk back towards the entrance. He rounded the slight corner, and froze in fear, for he could see another Organoid, looking inside the first chamber. All he could really see of it was its tail, whose spiked tip was flicking back and forth. But that was enough for him to jump behind the corner and press himself against the stone.

'_How the Helkat am I supposed to get out with that Organoid blocking the entrance?!'_ Raven thought, struggling to come up with a plan. He looked around the corner, but the Organoid had vanished. He leaned out a little farther, and slowly stepped out from around and then hid behind a small indent in the rock. Peering around, he quickly made his way further down the cave, stopping behind indents and ducking in inlays whenever he heard something.

'_At this rate I'll be out of here in no-time…'_ Raven thought with a smirk, noting the Organoid was nowhere to be seen. Just as he stepped out from behind the indent he had hid behind, the Organoid appeared from the chamber almost directly across from him…

… and it looked right _at_ him.

"Helkat!" Raven muttered under his breath, ducking back inside the inlay as fast as he could. The Organoid didn't make any noise or growl, so Raven wondered if it hadn't seen him. He slowly peeked around at the Organoid, and just as he did, a loud snarl filled the cavern. He froze, but it was too late, it had seen him. A second later, the rock above him literally exploded as the crimson Organoid's tail smashed into it, showering him in dust and rock.

Raven shouted and ducked away as the crimson Organoid's tail smashed down, just inches from where he had been standing only a mere moment before. He staggered out into the middle of the narrow corridor, coughing from the dust-filled air and holding his broken ribs.

Raven realized that he was completely exposed, and he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the same Organoid that had nearly killed him twice before, because now Shadow and Copper weren't here to save him. His ribs were screaming in pain from the sudden movement, and the dust was choking the air from his lungs. He coughed in a vain attempt to clear his lungs, but he only succeeded in filling his mouth with blood.

The slashes on his side were burning from the clinging dust and all the movement, but Raven ignored the pain and kept his eyes focused on the Organoid directly in front of him. The large Organoid glared at him with narrowed eyes, which glowed like emerald fire. That's when it hit Raven- he had walked _right_ past the Organoid earlier.

'_Of course…'_ Raven thought, looking at the Organoid's color, _'… red is virtually invisible in low light, and with its eyes closed I didn't see it when I looked in that chamber…'_ A loud snarl from the crimson Organoid broke his thoughts, and he snapped back to reality. The Organoid growled again and stepped towards him, and Raven took a step back away.

The crimson Organoid continued to approach him, and every time it took a step Raven would back away another step, keeping as much space between him and the Organoid as possible. It took him a moment to realize that it was forcing him deeper into the cave, farther and farther away from the opening that was his only chance of escape. The Organoid growled lowly and looked behind him, almost like it waiting for something to happen…

The attack came swiftly and silently, without sound or warning.

Raven screamed in pain as he felt icy claws rake his back, and felt warm blood spread across his shoulders. Focused on the red Organoid, he hadn't heard the other Organoid creeping up on him from behind. Gasping at the searing pain, Raven fell to his knees; the pain was just too much. He knew that crouched down he was defenseless, and that if he had any chance at all he needed to get back on his feet. He gritted his teeth and slowly tried to get to back up, but his body refused to move.

Growling cruelly, the Organoid behind him laid its metal paw on the back of his shoulders, pressing the tips of its claws into him slightly. Raven groaned weakly, even though the Organoid wasn't putting much pressure on him. He struggled weakly, trying to escape, but it was useless. The Organoid growled and pushed his claws into him more, but Raven wouldn't be still.

"Es sei denn du mich dich auseinander zerreißen wünschst, stoppen zu kämpfen und annehmen, daß es keine Hoffnung für dich gibt, menschlich!" The Organoid hissed coldly, pushing its claws into him further. The Organoid's words pierced Raven like an arrow, even though he couldn't understand him. He stopped squirming and stayed still, and sure enough the pressure on his back lessened.

"Das ist Recht, tun, da du erklärt wirst, Mensch…" The Organoid growled, retracting its claws slightly. Raven groaned weakly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to remain conscious much longer. His body was racked with pain, but he knew if he let his consciousness slip he would never wake up. He looked back at the Organoid behind him with half-closed eyes, vision cloudy from pain. The large feline Organoid glared down at him, its eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Ah… was falsch ist, menschlich? Verletzte ich dich?" The Organoid sneered before lifting its head and laughing cruelly. Raven had no idea what the Organoid was saying, but he knew its voice, he had heard before, somewhere…

A loud growl from the crimson Organoid broke his train of thought. Raven turned and looked at the red Organoid, whom hadn't moved since he was attacked. It looked at him and narrowed its emerald eyes, its face contorting into a twisted grin.

Raven lowered his head and closed his eyes as it started to walk towards him, waiting for the inevitable. He heard it stop a few feet in front of him and growl, and he could feel its eyes on him. Growling, the Organoid behind him moved its paw off his back. Before Raven had a chance to even move, he felt the Organoid's paws grab his arms and pin them to his back. Down on his knees with his arms behind his back, he was at the Organoids' non-existent mercy.

'_Now I can't even try to defend myself… I might as well give up…'_ Raven thought as he heard the crimson Organoid lean down and felt its hot breath on his face. He closed his eyes tighter and turned away, knowing all to well it wouldn't help much. The Organoid behind him dug his claws into his arms, causing him to groan and open his eyes slightly. The crimson Organoid moved close to him, its face mere inches from his own. Raven closed his eyes and coughed involuntarily, spitting blood onto the Organoid's face. This, unfortunately for him, angered the crimson Organoid, and it arched his tail around towards him.

Raven cringed as he felt the tip of the crimson Organoid's spined tail curl under his chin, the spikes pressing against his throat. The Organoid growled lowly, lifting Raven's head with its tail. Raven groaned and opened his eyes slightly, dull amethysts behind his smoke-grey hair. The red Organoid met his gaze, its fiery emerald eyes burning with hate.

With a wicked growl, the narrow tip of the red Organoid's tail silently wrapped around Raven's neck, threatening to strangle him. Raven groaned weakly and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the cold metal of the Organoid's tail tighten slightly around his throat. Growling, the Organoid slowly tightened its tail like a snake, denying Raven the opportunity to breathe. Raven started to struggle, trying to get free of the Organoid's grasp, but it was hopeless.

Suddenly, Raven stopped struggling, and his body went limp. The crimson Organoid smirked cruelly and raised its clawed hand, ready to deliver the finishing blow to his unmoving prey. Raven managed to open his eyes just enough to see the Organoid, though his vision was blurry from lack of oxygen. He watched helplessly as the crimson Organoid's claws came down silently, and closed his eyes, waiting to feel its claws slash his throat…

He never felt the claws.

Silence filled the room; even the two Organoids stopped breathing and held their breath. Raven wondered if he was dead, but he realized that if he was dead he wouldn't be in as much pain as he was in now. He groaned weakly, and was surprised to feel the Organoid's tail uncurl from around his throat. Raven gasped as soon as the pressure around his throat eased enough that he could breathe, trying to get air into his burning lungs.

A loud squeak caught his attention, from somewhere behind the crimson Organoid. Raven opened his eyes slightly, looking towards the sound's source. He wasn't surprised when he saw the hatchling staring at him with its bright yellow-orange eyes. The crimson Organoid was turned away from him, facing the little hatchling. The hatchling looked at the red Organoid and squeaked, cocking its head as if it was confused. It chirped and looked at him, its eyes more curious than aggressive.

The crimson Organoid growled, and the hatchling bounded over to its side. Again, the Organoid growled, although it sounded more like a purr. The hatchling looked up at the large Organoid, answering with a quiet growl of its own. It looked away from the looming Organoid and to him, cocking its head. Chirping, the hatchling walked up to him, stopping a few feet before him.

Raven watched the young Organoid with cloudy eyes, barely able to keep his head up. The hatchling seemed scared of him, for it wouldn't get any closer to him, no matter how much the red Organoid urged it to. A low growl from the Organoid behind him was his only warning before it dug its claws sharply into his arms, causing him to groan and lower his head. The hatchling squeaked and moved closer to him, back into his sight, almost like it wanted him to see it.

Raven didn't like the way this hatchling looked, the spines that covered its body and its piercing eyes gave it an evil appearance, and it made him nervous. It looked nothing like playful and gentle Okamau; it looked more like the spine-covered feline Organoid that was holding him down. The young Organoid chirped and looked at the deep slashes on his side, almost as if it was concerned with his condition. It looked up at him, and jumped up onto his lap, still looking up at him. It lifted its head up close to his face, chirping quietly. Raven watched it carefully as it opened its jaws, like it was going to bite him, but it lowered its head away for some reason with a quiet growl, and jumped off him, walking back over to the crimson Organoid's side.

"Er möchte nicht weg von ihm einziehen?" The feline Organoid said, with what sounded like astonishment in its voice. The crimson Organoid nodded, "Gut ist die eine Überraschung…" It said quietly, looking at the little metal creature. The crimson Organoid growled something to the large metallic feline, and it perked its ears up.

"Möglicherweise würde Raserei weg von ihm einziehen, außerdem muss er erlernen, wie man jagt und gefangennimmt Opfer…" The silver Organoid growled, an evil grin spreading across its muzzle. The crimson Organoid looked at the other and it smirked as well. It nodded, and the silver feline laughed cruelly.

With a powerful swat of its heavy paw, the Organoid knocked Raven to the ground and walked around to his front. Raven groaned as the Organoid placed its paw on the back of his right shoulder and pushed him down into the stone, pinning him down on his stomach. He looked up and saw the Organoid standing in front of him, its jaws hovering over his already wounded shoulder. With a loud snarl, the Organoid lunged, snapping its jaws shut on his shoulder. Raven cried out in pain, the Organoid's long fangs sinking deep into the back of his shoulder. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, but surprisingly the Organoid didn't bite down any further.

'_It's almost like it doesn't want to kill me… yet…'_

* * *

Orkari heard a loud scream from deep in the cave, partially drowning out a snarl from Leiden. He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized the scream as human, and not Organoid. _'I guess Leiden caught him… I hope he got knocked unconscious, even __I__ don't want to see a human suffer like that…'_ Orkari thought, shuddering at the thought of what Leiden would do to the human. He could hear Leiden's deep-throated growls, and his cold, booming voice as he spoke Zoidian, which he couldn't understand at his young age.

Then, Orkari heard Ambient's familiar growl. It wasn't the normal, friendly growl he knew so well, this was an angry, scary growl. Orkari didn't like the way that his father's voice sounded, and he wondered why he sounded so strange. Ambient had told him to stay put when he had run out of the room after the human, but his curiosity was starting to outweigh his obedience. For the moment he was following his father's orders, but he didn't know how long he could hold off his curiosity.

Another growl from his father was the tap that broke the Liger's shield. His curiosity got the better of him, and he just _had_ to see what was going on. Orkari ran out into the main chamber, and looked around. He saw some rubble and stones that weren't there before, and saw where Ambient's tail had smashed the fragile rock. _'Hehe, the human musta tried to hide, but no one can hide from Ambient!'_ he thought, laughing quietly.

Orkari heard another growl from Ambient deeper down in the cave, and he ran down towards it. He quickly rounded the slight turn and froze at what he saw- the human was down on his knees, Leiden had his arms pinned behind his back, Ambient's tail was wrapped around his neck, and Ambient had his clawed hand raised above his head. Orkari watched as his father started to bring his hand down, claws fully extended.

"Fahzer!!" Orkari screamed, shocked by his father. Ambient froze immediately, his claws a mere inch from the human's throat. Leiden's head snapped up, and Ambient wheeled around to look at him. "Fahzer, how could you?!" Orkari whimpered, shocked that his father was about to kill an unarmed human. He had seen Leiden do this to other humans, but he had never thought that his father would even think of doing such a thing.

"Orkari!" Ambient yelled, uncurling his tail from around the human's throat, "I told you to stay in your chamber where it's safe!"

"Safe?" Orkari snapped back, on the verge of tears, "Safe fum him? He can't even protect himself, let alowne hurt me!"

"Orkari…" Ambient sighed, "… come here." Orkari sniffled and ran to his father, not making eyes contact with him. When Ambient looked down at him and he didn't return the eye contact, he sighed. "Orkari, do you see this?" he pointed to a circular scar on his neck.

"Yes…" Orkari muttered quietly, barely glancing up.

"This human's parents gave me this, _he_ gave me this. He's not as harmless or innocent as you think, little one, and I don't want to happen to you what happened to me." Ambient tried to make his cause seem just, but Orkari was suspicious, despite his distrust and fear of humans.

"But he's ownly a hatchling, how could he have hurt you?" Orkari asked, looking up at the crimson Organoid with wide-eyes.

"He hurt me when I was weak, just like a coward!" Ambient said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "I brought him here for you… you need to learn to use your special gift, and he is perfect for you to use it for the first time on…"

"But… but I can't… he's hurt and can't fight back… it wouldn't be rwight…" Orkari lowered his head, know what his father wanted him to do wasn't right.

"It's alright Orkari, he's not fighting back because Leiden has him restrained, not because he's hurt, just do it…" Ambient said softly, urging the hatchling on. Orkari looked away from his father and to the human, whom hadn't moved since he had rounded the turn. He chirped and walked over to the kneeling human, looking up at him, watching for any hint of aggression. The human looked back at him, his eyes cloudy.

"All you have to do is bite him, Orkari, like the Zoid Core pieces I brought for you..." Ambient urged him on, growling softly.

Suddenly, Leiden growled, and the human groaned and lowered his head. Orkari chirped and walked closer to him, now only a few inches from him. The human looked back, eyes narrow and dull as Orkari looked at the slashes on his side. _'Ambient said he wasn't hurt, he lied, these are from his claws...' _he thought, staring at the deep wounds. Orkari chirped and jumped up on the human's lap, careful for any sign of aggression. He chirped and lifted his head up near the human's face, curious about why he wasn't moving. He opened his jaws slightly, just wanting to bite him and get it over with. That's when he saw the blood on the human's mouth. He growled and jumped down off the human, for he hated blood, ever since he saw the human that his mother had killed when they raided the nest. He had blood coming from his mouth and from the slashes and bite wounds that covered him. Ever since he had seen that human die from blood loss, he hadn't been able to stomach the sight or smell of blood.

"No fahzer… blood… I don't like blood…" Orkari whined to his father, shaking his head.

"That's okay Orkari…" Ambient said quietly, "… why don't you go back to your chamber?"

"Okay…" Orkari sighed, walking back towards his chamber with a yawn. He heard Leiden say something in Zoidian, but the only thing he understood was Raserei's name. Just as he rounded the corner, he heard the human cry out in pain. Orkari looked back, and saw Leiden had the human pinned to the ground, jaws clamped on his shoulder. He heard Ambient say something, but all he caught was "… let Raserei have him…"

'_What would Raserei want with a human?'_ Orkari thought, watching Leiden drag the human back into the cave. He thought about it for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. Remembering what Ambient had told him, he turned away and walked back to his chamber. As he slipped inside, the mention of Raserei still weighed heavy on his mind.

'_Why would Leiden take the human to Raserei? He wouldn't hurt him… would he?'_

_**.:End of Chapter 12:.**_

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**AN**- Well, how did I do on my longest, and well-awaited, chapter? I thought I did pretty darn good, what about you? Lol. Listen guys, I translated Leiden's real lines to another language, and depending on what site you use to try and translate them, you might get a different translation. Like at one site, I don't remember which, it gave me 'distribute' instead of 'struggle'. Its complicated. If you can't find an accurate translation, shoot me a PM and I'll give you the accurate translation. Oh… an evil cliffhanger… and one with someone you don't know!!XD Man, I bet you guys are dying to read the next chapter, huh? Hehe. Well, I'll give you a hint, and your hopes for Raven will just drop like stones when I say Raserei is Leiden's son!! Oh, what's gonna happen to him? You'll have to wait and read! Please review guys!! As all ways, **anonymous reviews are accepted and highly appreciated!!** I love to hear from you guys, cause I myself, once upon a time, anonymous reviewer!!XD Lol. Again, as all ways, **all flamers will be fed to Leiden!!** Non- flamers, you're safe! Lol. please review!!

**Anonymous reviewers- I will reply to your reviews like a normal review IN MY PROFILE. If you want to read my response, just click on my profile and find the 'comments to anonymous reviewers' section.**

As always, page-breaks represent POV changes. Just so ya know. Lol.

_**Ibeyla :P**_


	13. Lifeless Rise Up

**AN**- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!!! Long awaited chapter 13 baby!! I'm SOOO sorry I made y'all wait for… months? MONTHS??!!! Holy Helkat!!! I feel so bad!!! I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for the update, but I've been down lately, some of my reviewers deserted me, and now my hard-worked-on chapters sit basically unread. It's sad. But, thanks to urging from An Outcast's Shadow, this chapter is being posted!!! Also, I wouldn't be where I am today without the unwavering support from randomcat23, ChicagoBears23, arathia, BrastleBlade, AntiMusicMan, come back running xx, iwalkinthelight, 9TailedFox, An Outcast's Shadow, SugarLandBabyGirl and all my other faithful reviewers and friends on this site. You guys are the best!!! I can't thank you enough for sticking with my through thick and thin!! I love you guys, I wouldn't be here without your help and guidance!!! 

This chapter is for everyone who has stayed with me since my first fics!!! Thank you all!!!! ;D

**Important!!-** I have decided to scrap my original idea to include Raserei in this fic. I had the interaction between he and Raven all typed out, but when I went back and reread it, I didn't like it. So, I decided to cut him out and add in a new Organoid, that I think y'all might like. Some of my more loyal, observant and thorough readers may recognize the newcomer Organoid's name from earlier chapters. But I doubt anyone will remember, and it really doesn't matter anyway. XP (this chapter is named after a line from my favorite song probably of all-time, _You're Powerful_ by my one of my fave Christian rock bands, _Skillet_. :P)

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_**.:Chapter 13- Lifeless Rise Up:.**_

Okamau whimpered in pain as she regained consciousness, her body burning with agony from the blow from the strange Organoid's paw. _'Why it hurt me? All I did was protect Raven… oh no, Raven!!'_ Okamau thought suddenly, scrambling to her feet, but squealing at the sudden wave of pain. She whipped around, looking for Raven, but he was nowhere to be found.

The violet hatchling's heart sank at that realization, fearing that the strange Organoid had killed him. She looked around, and saw Copper collapsed at the base of the wall. Okamau squeaked and ran over to him, ignoring the pain in her leg. Copper didn't react, which confused the little hatchling. She cocked her head and looked at him more closely, and finally saw the deep punctures on his neck.

"Cahpper!! Cahpper!!" Okamau screeched, mispronouncing her surrogate father's name. Copper didn't move, he didn't even twitch, and Okamau knew something had to be horribly wrong with him. She pushed on her face with her foot, but a weak growl from behind her caught her attention. She whipped around, and saw Shadow lying in a heap against the far wall, moving slightly.

Okamau ran over to the dark Organoid, chirping loudly. Shadow groaned loudly, stretching himself as he blinked open his dimly glowing eyes. Okamau could see the wounds he had sustained, but they weren't as bad as Copper's. His face had several shallow scratches etched into the smooth surface, where she guessed the strange Organoid had swatted him with its paw. His armor was scuffed and dented, looking as if he had been thrown around several times. His older wounds also looked bad, some reopened and now rehealed, but some still leaked a clear viscous liquid; the Organoid equivalent of blood.

"O-Okamau? What happened?" Shadow slurred, his head wavering, looking as if he was about to pass-out again. Okamau squeaked and chattered, trying to tell him the Organoid had taken Raven. Shadow blinked his eyes slowly; staring at her blankly, as if nothing she was saying was registering. Okamau huffed and swatted his noise with her tail, making him snap his head back.

"What was that for?" he grunted, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Okamau screeched and ran over to where Raven had been, jumping up and down and yelping as loud as she could. Shadow just stared at her, until something finally clicked.

"Where's Raven?! Wait… Leiden!!" he snarled, staggering to his feet shakily. Okamau sighed in relief and ran back over to him, mewling and rubbing against his leg, trying to tell him they needed to find Raven. Shadow ignored her, however, and started towards Copper.

"Copper?" he asked softly, leaning down and nosing his friend's shoulder. Copper's eyes flashed a pale, sickly green for a brief moment, but soon faded back to black. He was alive at least, but just barely.

"R-Raven!!" Okamau yipped, making Shadow turn around. She glanced out of the cave and back at him, trying to tell him they need to go find him. Shadow walked over and looked down at her, his eyes glowing a little brighter.

"Yes, we must track down Leiden." Shadow said seriously, "He will pay for what he's done to Copper, Raven, you and me…"

Okamau squeaked and spread her wings, wanting to find Raven, despite her badly mangled leg and crushed armor. Shadow took note of her condition, and walked away from the entrance, much to Okamau's disdain. She squeaked and bit at his tail, clamping her tiny jaws on his bladed tail-tip, tugging as hard as she could in a desperate attempt to get him to follow her. Shadow pulled her without much effort, and reached down and picked up some of the little remaining Magnite.

"Here Oka, you need to eat this if you want to come with me to find Raven…" he said quietly, holding out a tiny piece of the glowing blue mineral. Okamau whined unhappily, but ate it anyway, coughing as soon as she got it down. She hated the taste of it, but if it was going to help her find Raven, she'd do it.

"Find… Raven…?" she chirped, cocking her head and blinking her pale emerald eyes. Shadow nodded and picked her up in his clawed hands, holding her carefully so as to not cause her any pain. Okamau cocked her head and looked up at him through his claws, confused on why he was carrying her.

"I need to fly fast, you wouldn't be able to keep up with me…" he clarified, starting towards the cave entrance and flying into the air. Okamau sighed quietly and curled up tightly, worried about Raven. She was terrified that the big feline Organoid, Leiden as Shadow had called it, had hurt Raven, and that scared her. Raven had been badly hurt before he showed up, and she honestly didn't think he'd be able to pull through another bad injury.

Okamau shook those dark thoughts from her head, and instead a strange feeling entered her consciousness. She lifted her head, peering through Shadow's claws at the swiftly moving ground beneath her. She sensed something strange, like someone whom she was closely tied to yet far away was awakening, and that confused her. She shook her head again and tried to ignore it, but it welled up in her, demanding her attention. It took control of her like an instinct, telling her to follow it. Okamau struggled and squeezed through Shadow's claws, ignoring his warning to get back in his talons.

She winged off in a different direction, away from the dark Organoid, where nothing but empty canyon stretched for as far as her emerald eyes could see…

* * *

Deep in the same very cave as Ambient and Leiden, another Organoid was dwelling. Sleeping far back in a dark chamber hidden from prying eyes, the metallic creature was in a deep coma-like slumber, unknown to both Ambient and Leiden. His pale orange armor was covered in dust, the dingy film obscuring its shine. The Organoid's black arms and tail-tip seemed to melt into the darkness, as did his neck and belly. The deep slashes on the Organoid's throat and the bullet wound on his chest could have fooled anyone into believing him dead, but the wounds were almost completely healed. The spines that fringed his head were bigger and more pronounced that even Ambient's, and could easily tear through another Organoid's throat. His large claws were sharp and strong, more than capable of ripping a human to shreds, and his razor-like teeth could slice easily through flesh and bone without much hindrance.

The Organoid had been hidden in the deepest reach of the cave for months, recovering from the massive injuries he had sustained. He didn't know that Leiden and Ambient had invaded his territory, but he knew that his mate was dead and his hatchlings captured. He had been the master of the entire canyon, of his entire territory, until the human soldiers came and slashed his soft throat with their knives and shot him with their guns. He had crawled in this dark cave to heal, and it was taking a long time, even in Organoid standards. He hadn't so much as twitched since, and it would take a lot to rouse him.

Cairo was a strong Organoid, and in Zoidian times had been called the 'River Spirit', for his old territory had stretched the Dark River, one of the most important ancient Zoidian rivers and waterways. He had taken great care to keep his river clean and healthy, and was greatly respected by the Zoidians for it. The canyon he and his mate now inhabited was a dried-up tributary of the still-flowing Dark River, though the Death Saurer's onslaught had forever turned the once lush planet into a desert wasteland. Even though the water no longer flowed, he took great care to protect the environment and animals residing within his territory, making sure he never overused the sparse desert resources and protected any creatures within his territory from unnatural harm.

Suddenly, Cairo picked up the scent of blood, arousing his systems to reactivate. His pale moss-green eyes slowly blinked open, flickering back to life. He lifted his head, pulling it free from a blanket of cobwebs and dust, making him sneeze, which resulted in a cloud of stinging dust. He groaned loudly and slowly got to his feet, shaking to rid himself of the clinging webs and dust that had accumulated on his body during his months of inactivity.

Cairo stood to his full height, which was nearly eight feet. His crown-like crest of spines was covered in webs from long-gone spiders, which he cleared away with a careless swat of his clawed hand. He shook his head and yawned loudly, showing his knife-like silver teeth. His energy had fully healed from his run-in with the humans, but he still felt drowsy from being roused so quickly from his slumber.

Another waft of the blood smell and an Organoid's roars piqued his interest, prompting him to investigate. Cairo growled and walked out of the dark chamber, turning to his right and following his nose further towards the entrance. The smell of blood was masked partly by the calming scent of rain, which always soothed the huge Organoid, since he had lived near water most his younger life, so the scent naturally settled him.

The smell of blood, however, continued to get stronger, making him focus on it instead of the rain. The scent was fresh, meaning whatever was bleeding and making the scent had to still be close or still be injured. The fact that something was injured perplexed him, and he began to wonder if Leiden had killed another innocent creature. He curled his lip and growled deeply at the thought of Leiden, his mortal enemy, taking another innocent creature. He had fought and defeated that metal monster many times after killing innocent animals in his territory, even after he mauled a human, despite the fact he really didn't care much for humans.

A stronger wave of the smell silenced his thoughts, and made him pick up his pace. He sniffed the air, and sighed in disdain when he recognized the scent as the blood from a human, for he didn't like humans, especially after the attack. He shook his head and sighed again, for he knew he was going to have to fight Leiden over a human, instead of something more honorable, like the rare mountain lions or wolves or horses, or even a deer. But, he had to protect every creature in his territory, even if it was a human.

Leiden's telltale snarl echoed down the corridor, making him perk up and stop. He listened, trying to determine what he was about to charge in to. Cairo could hear a human struggling against something, and the unmistakable metallic sounds of an Organoid; Leiden had no doubt discovered a human. Cairo picked up his pace even more, hurrying to the front of the cave. He wondered briefly what Leiden was doing in _his_ cave, but he pushed the thought away and focused again on what he was going to do to get Leiden away.

Flicking his bladed tail, Cairo rounded a turn, and saw something he never expected- a baby Hiyou Organoid, the same species as Leiden. The little silver cat was covered in black markings and had black patches under its glowing orange eyes, much like war paint. Its silver, gray and black feather wings were folded, held tight against its side. It was covered in blunt, rounded crimson spines, but its silver claws and coppery fangs were much sharper. Cairo recognized the tiny Organoid as Raserei, Leiden's son, and was surprised with how much he had grown.

"Go on, Raserei, leave me be." Cairo grumbled, looking up from the baby. Raserei cocked his head, his innocent kitten-like face glowing. He mewed and plodded into a branching chamber, leaving Cairo alone. He shook his head and continued towards the sounds of the struggle near the front of the cave, Leiden and Raserei's presence adding to his anger. Not only did Leiden have the nerve to invade _his_ cave, he also attacked a human in _his_ territory. That was enough to send the newly awakened Organoid into a rage, and he was looking to vent his fury on that metal monstrosity, Leiden.

Suddenly, a pain-filled scream pierced the air, making Cairo break out into a run. He snorted and chased the sound down the winding corridor, knowing the scream was from a human; probably the one Leiden had caught and was most likely torturing. He ran as fast as his long legs could carry him to the main chamber, where he knew Leiden would be. He rounded the last turn into the main chamber and skidded to a stop, staring in horror-

For Leiden was killing a _child_…

"LEIDEN!!" Cairo screamed in rage, lashing his bladed tail violently. Leiden jumped, spinning around in an instant, his glowing orange-red eyes wide. The feline Organoid snarled a warning, backing away slightly, obviously distressed by his presence. Cairo knew he was the only Organoid that Leiden feared, and he used it to his full advantage to drive the metallic cougar away from the human.

"How can you be here, Cairo?! I _watched_ the soldiers _kill_ you!!" Leiden snarled, panic showing in his voice and on his face. Cairo smirked and took a step forward, forcing Leiden farther and father from the boy.

"I can't be killed by a bullet from a soldier's pitiful gun or slash from a human's pathetic knife! I am the River Spirit, the guardian of this land, and you are no longer welcome here!!" Cairo roared, flexing his dangerous silver claws and flicking the obsidian blade on his tail in anger. Leiden's glowing eyes widened, the silver and ebony Organoid slinking away towards the exit, trying to escape. But Cairo wasn't about to let him get away.

Cairo snarled and lunged at the fleeing Organoid, sinking his powerful claws into Leiden's armored shoulder. Leiden roared in pain, lunging forward, claws spread. Cairo released him and avoided easily, bolting behind him and pouncing onto Leiden's back. Leiden yowled, shaking in an attempt to knock him off. Cairo snarled, digging his claws into Leiden's back and clamping his jaws onto the back of the Organoid's neck.

Leiden screamed in pain, beating his wings frantically in a desperate attempt to knock Cairo from his back. Cairo growled, holding fast due to his claws and teeth being locked deep into Leiden's armor. In a last-ditch effort to get free, Leiden whipped his tail around, the sharp spines that armed the tip cracking against Cairo's leg. Cairo released his hold on Leiden's neck and roared, using his own tail to smack Leiden's away.

In a final desperate act, Leiden heaved his entire body, succeeding in knocking Cairo off of his back. Cairo rolled, quickly recovering and lunging at Leiden again. He roared and slammed Leiden against the wall of the cave, making Leiden yowl in pain. Leiden swatted at his face, his heavy paw hitting him with more force than a club. The blow stunned Cairo for a brief moment, momentarily knocking him witless. Leiden used that brief second to try and attack, but Cairo snapped out of it.

Cairo snarled and kicked Leiden right across his snarling face, catching the massive Organoid completely off-guard. Leiden lost his balance, stumbling slightly as he tried to steady himself to attack. Cairo used Leiden's imbalance to his advantage, ramming into the silver Organoid with his shoulder, sending him tumbling.

Leiden roared loudly, smashing into the wall again. Cairo roared loudly in his face, his claws poised and ready to rip out his throat. Leiden snarled and kicked with his back legs, catching Cairo under his chin. Cairo gasped hoarsely, staggering backwards, caught completely by surprise. Leiden used his moment of freedom to run past him, trying to reach the human.

Cairo spun around instantly, roaring and bolting after him, determined to stop him from killing the young boy. He snarled and leapt up into the air, but just seconds before he crashed down on the Organoid, a red blur slammed into his side from somewhere to his right, sending him tumbling. Cairo jumped to his feet, crouched low, glaring at his new foe with narrowed, burning eyes.

"Ambient, I should have known…" Cairo growled, "… only a coward attacks from their opponent's blind spot…"

"I'm no coward, Cairo…" Ambient smirked, "… I just saw an opportunity and exploited my opponent's weakness…"

"Well, you made a grave mistake!!" Cairo roared, pouncing on Ambient, the attack nothing more than a blur. Ambient was taken by complete surprise, and was unable to react. Cairo slammed him into the ground, sinking his long back talons into his spine. Ambient roared in shock and pain, writhing beneath Cairo's talons. Cairo snarled and put more and more weight on the crimson Organoid, pressing him farther and farther into the hard stone. Ambient screaming in agony, squirming helplessly in a vain attempt to escape.

Cairo growled and ducked down, his powerful jaws snapping shut around Ambient's back. Ambient shrieked in pain as Cairo's sharp teeth sank into him and as he lifted him off the ground, his heavy weight no problem for Cairo's immense strength. With a mere flick of his head, Cairo threw Ambient into the wall, the crimson Organoid's head smashing against the hard rock, his body sliding to the ground, completely unmoving. With Ambient no longer a threat, he turned back to Leiden. The hulking silver Organoid was hovering over the boy, his paw pressed forcefully against his chest, threatening to choke him.

"Leiden stop!!" Cairo roared, crouching low in a threat posture.

"If you take one more step I'll rip his lungs open, Cairo!!" Leiden snarled, his long claws flicking out like a deadly switchblade. Cairo instantly froze, not wanting Leiden to kill the boy, even though he didn't know him. He lowered himself further, a show of submission, telling Leiden he wasn't going to attack. Leiden narrowed his burning fiery eyes, his silver claws pressed tight against the suffering human's chest.

"Leiden, let… him… go…" Cairo growled threateningly, narrowing his pale emerald eyes. Leiden hissed, his saber-like copper fangs bared, the ebony spines that armed his tail flexing as he flicked the tip in agitation. He further narrowed his fierce eyes, nothing more than slits in the dark, like the last embers of a dying fire in the darkness.

"I'm afraid I can't do that…" Leiden answered slyly, a sadistic smirk crossing his muzzle. "… this human you are defending if far from _innocent_, Cairo, his parents were the Organoid Scientists, he deserves to die!!" Cairo's eyes widened, knowing he was about to do something rash. He watched as his blade-like claws pressed into the boy's chest, making him scream.

"Leiden!! STOP!!" Cairo roared, standing to his full height and baring his lethal teeth. Leiden hissed, pressing his claws harder and harder into the struggling boy. Cairo had seen enough, his anger was boiling over and he was at the breaking point. A weak cry from the young human was the tap that broke the Liger's shield, and he roared in pure fury and charged.

"I won't let you kill another innocent creature, Leiden!!"

* * *

Raven screamed in pain as the silver Organoid's claws pressed down on his chest, the sharp tips digging into his flesh and his broken ribs burning with white-hot pain from the immense pressure. He struggled weakly, unable to do anything else to free himself. The new Organoid, the strange pale orange one that had been fighting the Organoid killing him, was somewhere off to his right, out of his field of vision, roaring at the metallic cat.

As the Organoid had toyed with him earlier, Raven had finally remembered the metallic beast. The reason he had thought its voice and appearance familiar had finally surfaced, along with a memory from his long-forgotten past. He remembered his parents working on an Organoid they kept locked away in a dark corner of the basement, the creature none-other than the very same that was torturing him now. Why it had dragged him here and why it was attacking him, it all made sense to him now, but the knowledge came too late.

The feline Organoid pushed its claws deeper into his chest, making him cry out in pain. It was staring down at him, a twisted smirk seeming to stretch across its muzzle, as if it was drawing pleasure from his suffering. Raven could do nothing to save himself, the only thing he could do was scream and struggle, but that did nothing to help him escape.

Suddenly, the silver Organoid was rammed off of him by an orange blur, the metallic cat screeching as it was thrown into the opposite wall. Raven looked over at it, expecting to see it lunge at him again. He was surprised to see it laying in a crumpled heap, its eyes dim and jaws open, but body still. It looked dead, but he knew better than to think that.

A quiet growl in front of him made him turn back, and his eyes widened in fear when he realized the new Organoid was just a foot away from him. Raven stared at the newcomer in shock, seeing that it was as big, if not bigger, than Shadow. Its head was fringed in sharp spines eerily similar to the crimson Organoid's, looking almost like a crown. Its long arms and nimble hands were armed with large, heavy claws, each silver blade nearly as long as his entire hand. Its thin legs and large feet reminded him more of a bird, but it was far from a harmless sparrow. Its long, powerful tail was tipped with an obsidian blade, which looked light in weight and even fragile. But what struck him the most was its eyes. Its eyes were a pale emerald, strikingly similar to Okamau's, and they didn't seem to belong to a violent, bloodthirsty Organoid.

The pale orange Organoid cocked its head, blinking its glowing eyes, looking him over almost curiously. It leaned down and sniffed the bloody wound on his chest, its movements not aggressive or threatening. Raven was still afraid it was going to kill him like the other two had tried to, and pushed on its snout, trying to push its jaws away from him. The Organoid snorted as he pushed its head away, turning its head back and staring at him. It growled and reached towards him, its heavy clawed hands pinning his arms to the stone. Raven struggled vainly and tried to pull his arms free, but the metallic dragon had a firm grip.

"Whoa there mate, you're alright, you're alright…" the Organoid spoke in a heavily accented voice, speaking in English. Raven stopped and stared at the Organoid with wide-eyes, in shock that it was speaking. The Organoid smirked and released him, towering nearly eight feet over him. "What? Never hear an Organoid talk human before?" it joked, chuckling slightly.

"N-no…" Raven choked, staring at the massive orange Organoid strangely, "… who a-are you? Why d-did you sa-save me?"

"The name's Cairo, and I'm the guardian of this canyon." The Organoid said proudly, lifting his head slightly, "I protect any and all in my territory and on my land, and you're in the very heart of my territory, therefore under my protection. And, Leiden is my mortal foe; any enemy of his is a friend of mine." He said, snorting at the mention of 'Leiden', before leaning down to him, "Looks like Leiden had a bit of fun with you… Helkat, why was he so angry at you, mate?"

"I exist…" Raven groaned, lowering his head and closing his eyes.

"Can't really help that, now can we?" Cairo chuckled dryly, "Doesn't matter, you need patched up. Only reason you're alive is this stuff right here…" he said quietly, pointing with one of his large claws to the silvery fluid that covered his side, shoulder and arm, "… that's potent stuff there, Leiden could have ripped you clean open and you wouldn't have died. Zoidians called it _Suruka Kaira_, which means 'Healing Water' in human speak. If that hadn't been on you, you'd be dead right now."

"I w-was wondering why I w-wasn't d-dead…" Raven wheezed, smirking slightly in dark humor.

"Yeah, well, even it won't keep you alive much longer." Cairo said seriously, "The Suruka Kaira will keep you alive a little longer, at most a few hours, but unless you get fixed up by then, you might not make it."

"Great…" Raven said sarcastically, sighing loudly.

"Don't worry, I know a place not far from here where I can patch you up. But, the only way I can get you there in time is by teleporting, and it's not the most pleasant experience for people, especially one in your condition." Cairo sighed, flicking his tail slightly. Raven opened his mouth to answer, but a quiet fluttering coming from the cave entrance made him stop. Before he could react, a small dark-colored shape dropped onto his chest with a screech, leaning over his face. Raven stared at the unknown thing in fear, until he finally recognized the little creature…

"Okamau!"

Okamau chirped and licked his face excitedly, like a puppy. Raven laughed, reaching up and stroking her, happy to see her. She cooed and nuzzled his hand, closing her eyes and wagging her tail happily. She purred loudly, until a confused growl from Cairo made her wheel around. The hatchling froze as she saw Cairo towering over her, but she growled as loud as she could and flapped her little wings, almost as if she was trying to frighten the Organoid away from him.

"Oka, n-no, he's good…" Raven said quietly, patting her head to calm her down. Okamau chirped, settling down, but kept her eyes focused on Cairo. Cairo was doing the same, staring at her curiously, his eyes narrow, until they suddenly widened as he gasped.

"By Eve's light! Oka!!" he smirked, leaning down to the violet hatchling. Okamau cocked her head curiously, before she squeaked and hugged his snout.

"Uh… w-what's going on?" Raven asked, really confused by this point. Cairo licked Okamau, who let go, and lifted his head, looking at him, smiling.

"Okamau is my hatchling… I thought she was captured by the Republican soldiers…" Cairo answered, looking down at the chirping violet hatchling. Okamau squeaked loudly and flapped her wings, but turned and stared out at the cave entrance. Cairo followed her gaze, and his eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a snarl.

"What?!" Raven whispered loudly, confused once again. Cairo held up a claw, signaling him to keep quiet, his eyes locked on something outside the cave entrance.

"Shush… I think I see another Organoid- I don't believe it!"

_**.:End of Chapter 13:.**_

* * *

**AN**- … … … please don't yell at me!! I know this chapter doesn't make up for the ungodly wait I put you all through, but I haven't been able to get myself to write as well as normal. I've been abnormally happy and hyper for the last few weeks, that's good, but it also means I can't get myself in the mindset to write my 'famous' dark and suspenseful sequences. I hope you at least liked this!!

I like Cairo. His personality is based _very_ loosely upon that of my childhood hero, Steve Irwin (may he rest in peace), at least in his desire to preserve and protect his territory and environment. I originally created him in October, hence his color scheme (orange, black and green). I have drawn a few pictures of him, and I will upload them to my DeviantART account soon.

Btw, I have decided to give you a little pronunciation and meaning guide for my OCs' names here in this fic…

Orkari- (_or- car- ee_)- icy rage [Japanese]  
Kai-annai- (_ky- ann- eye_)- guiding care [Japanese]  
Ouran- (_ore- un_)- brave [dialect of Africa]  
Okamau- (_oka- maw- oo_)- caring mother [Japanese]  
Cairo- (_ky- row_) [like the city in Egypt]  
Leiden- (_lee- den_)- suffering [German]  
Raserei- (_ruh- zair- ee_)- rage [German]

Now, I realize that the names may be pronounced wrong here, but I am doing this purposefully to make them more unique. The meanings of the names reflect the Organoids' personalities, at least I think. ^^; Also, I have pictures of some of them at my DeviantART account. Use the link at the top of my profile to reach my userpage there.

Sorry for this ranting. ^^; I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! I even got back in my good ol' cliffhanger habit!! I may update again soon, but that depends on the response and review number this chapter gets. I hope my readers haven't abandoned me. But, please review!! **No flames!!** Thanks for reading!!

_**~Ibeyla ^^**_


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